Wild Blade Chronicles
by KingofZeroX
Summary: A twist of fate leads to Shulk being raised by the Nopon. With an entirely different upbringing and a very odd set a skills, how will our hero change the future? What new path will he create? And how will those of Colony 9 survive without him? Collaboration with Gracidea Shaypon!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: A Destiny Rewritten**

* * *

" _Do you wish to change it? The future. It is every man's desire to change the future. Is that not so? Even if everything has been predestined, will you not oppose it?" — Alvis_

* * *

Within a sealed tower, atop a giant's frost-covered arm, there lay the bodies of a Homs research team. In the middle of the circular tower, seated upon the pedestal built to support it, was a vibrant, red blade. It was oddly shaped, unlike any blade that existed upon the giant's corpse known as the Bionis. The Monado, as if it was pleased, began to shine in the hole above its hilt and a golden light emerged. It spread through the air slowly, as if searching for something. This light was an existence beyond comprehension, a holy miracle that nobody would ever witness.

Finally, the light circled above one of the bodies of the researchers. It was not a man nor a woman that it chose. Not a strong body or a tall body. Rather, it focused upon the sole child brought along. Whatever hopes, dreams, or ideals the child once had were nothing. It was just another corpse, another part of the tragedy that took place. Pleased, the light descended upon the boy, melding with him and causing him to glow briefly before fading once more.

Quietly, the boy began to breathe again.

Now, it was all a waiting game. If things had gone according to plan, then it would be only a matter of time. A small waiting game until a servant of the Monado came to retrieve it and the boy. It had waited centuries for this opportunity. It had foreseen it all. Every conflict, every tragedy, every happy moment. It was all plann—

"Riki find new location! Everyone happy!"

Oh no.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

A group of Nopon led by this… Riki, barged into this sealed tower as if it was their playground. With packs and coats, they approached the research team. Upon realizing that they were, in fact, _not_ sleeping and were all dead, the Nopons' face grew somber. Only their fearless leader remained chipper, as if nothing was wrong. However, one was still breathing.

"Riki find littlehom-hom!" The round, furry creature exclaimed. The others gathered around, intrigued and excited. Almost forgetting about the carnage surrounding them, the Nopon all gently prodded at the sleeping child and examined him. Despite the frigid conditions outside the tower and the clearly lifeless Homs surrounding him, the boy seemed to be in surprisingly good condition, at least upon first glance.

"Others say Riki should take care of littlehom-hom! Don't worry! Riki will do his best!" Riki said to the air. The others looked confused, but they chalked it up to his above-average energy level. How many pollen orbs did he eat a day?

Though they couldn't do anything about the bodies (they were too big for little Nopon to bury, so laziness was the best option), the Nopon adventurers began to fashion a stretcher in order to carry the boy out. While the rest of the team began work on that, their leader Riki (who was working off a debt with this adventure) approached the Monado.

He tilted his whole body to the side in confusion and poked the heavenly blade. It electrocuted his paw and he let out a yelp of surprise before growling.

"Bad sword! Riki mad! Sword supposed to choppy-choppy! Not shocky-shocky!" With a swift motion, Riki removed his biter and smacked the Monado off its pedestal and onto the stonework behind it.

Perhaps, if he were able to hear the voice of the being that once dwelled in the Monado, he'd hear something like this:

' _Damn you, you insignificant worm dwelling on my body! I will destroy you! I will kill every single one of you for this! You'll pay for your insolence! Damn it all! I can see everything! Why couldn't I see this?! Get your disgusting paws off my vessel! Disgusting! When did you last bathe, you mongre—'_

But, fortunately, he was ignorant to the annoying, whining voice.

With the stretcher complete, they carried the boy outside the sealed tower together. For now, they thought they should bring the poor orphan back with them. Sadly, they had a little trouble carrying him as their teamwork was not up to par.

' _Ow! Shit! Damn it! Fuck!'_

They dropped the boy a few times along the way.

About 27 times.

* * *

Chief Dunga had not expected Riki to come back with a Hom Hom boy. He didn't expect Riki to come back with anything, of course. That Nopon was always slacking off or wasting time. That was why he was one of the top contenders for the title of Heropon. The number of Nopon in greater debt than Riki numbered less than two. As in there was literally one other Nopon in more debt. So, while he wasn't surprised by Riki's lack of any hard work, he was confounded with how he _took_ a Hom Hom boy home with him.

Did he kidnap him? Plan to hold him for a ransom in order to pay off his debt? Chief Dunga began to sweat. This could be bad. A war with Hom Homs would end very badly for the peaceful Nopon. They needed to return the boy and apologize. He hurriedly descended from his home near the top of the gigantic tree they lived in.

"Chief Dunga!" excitedly chirped Riki. "Riki went to big icy tower like Chief Dunga asked! Riki find many new places! Riki went to forest, then to sea, then icy-icy, then to _other_ forest, then to _different_ sea—"

"Riki!" Dunga scolded the Nopon, "I never said to go to any of those places!"

"But Chief Dunga told Riki to find new places!" Riki responded, still perky and proud.

"I said to _look for new races_! Bird people trade for information, Debtpon," Dunga corrected, "Makna forest very big. Very easy to find new things. You only needed to go outside your door and tell me about something new! Like Unreliable Rezno! Unique things easy to find!"

Riki sighed and looked at his pack full of all the new things he found in the snowy mountains. He pulled out what appeared to be some sort of cabbage frosted over by the cold.

"Riki guess this useless then. Too cold to eat!" He quickly tossed it outside where a Korlba Pterix swooped down and swallowed it whole. "Riki dump the others later."

"What about the littlehom-hom you brought with you?" Dunga asked, forcibly ignoring the fact that Riki was dumping potential food.

Riki dropped a second cabbage he had ready to chuck. "Yes, littlehom-hom! Riki and Henchpon find littlehom-hom in big icy tower! He was sleepy-sleepy, so Riki and Henchpon take him back to warm Makna to wakey-wakey!"

Dunga eyed Riki suspiciously. A Hom Hom child completely unattended yet still seemingly unharmed in such a cold and unforgiving land? While the Nopon knowledge of this frigid mountain was limited, what they did know was that it was not exactly welcoming. "Riki, were there other Hom Homs with this littlehom-hom?"

"Riki saw some, but they told Riki they were going to far away place. Hom Homs were sad, but Riki wanted cheer them up! Hom Hom friends told Riki to take care of littlehom-hom, so Riki agreed!"

This confused Dunga further. Why would Hom Homs just give up a child so easily? Was it possible that they couldn't care for him any longer? Did the littlehom-hom's parents perish in a blizzard? Were the remaining Hom Homs unwilling to look after one of their own? How horrible!

Thus, through a few misunderstandings, the boy named Shulk came to be under the care of the Nopon.

* * *

In a hastily built hut outside of the tree that encompassed the frontier village, light spilled over a small child's eyelids. They fluttered for a bit, before revealing two blue orbs. The four-year old child, Shulk, sat up and looked around his new home, confused.

He knew his name was Shulk.

Everything else however…

Gone. Where he was, how old he was exactly, his family… he possessed no memories whatsoever. The small hut mainly consisted of the fur bedding. There was a small chest to the side of it, and a few shelves along the wall. Sitting up and then pushing himself to his feet, Shulk made his way towards the small opening that led out of the tiny abode.

Upon exiting, he bore witness to a myriad of trees stretching far beyond his vision. The green grass felt cool beneath his feet. Though he hadn't realized it until now, he was wearing nothing but a thin cloth around his waist. Eager to find somebody who could explain his situation, the boy climbed the hill to his left, taking notice of the gigantic tree behind the home he'd been in.

This place was unreal. At least, that's what Shulk would think if he had any place in his memories to reference it by. His blonde hair swaying in the wind, Shulk reached the top of the hill only to be greeted by a small, fluffy, round creature with an X-shaped scar on his belly and ridiculous hair that curled up towards the heavens.

"Littlehom-hom wakey wakey?! Riki very happy!" Riki chirped happily. Shulk tilted his head in confusion.

"Ri...ki?" He asked confusedly. In response to this, the Nopon practically bounced in joy. "My name… Shulk."

Riki flapped his ears a bit, causing him to lift off the ground with glee. "Shulk? Hom-Hom names weird!"

Shulk continued to eye Riki with confusion. "Hom-Hom…? What's…?"

"Shulk no know what Shulk is?" Riki questioned, his eyes widening. "Shulk is very little littlehom-hom if Shulk never heard of Hom Homs!"

The rotund creature's vocabulary just further disorientated the young boy. "Littlehom-hom? Me… I'm a littlehom-hom? What is Riki?"

Riki reached over with one of his long, prehensile ears and patted Shulk on the back. "Shulk littlehom-hom! Littlehom-hom little Hom Homs! Riki Nopon! Nopon strongest, smartest, funnest, best things on Bionis!"

Shulk blankly looked at Riki, his mind trying to sort out all of the words that came out of the Nopon's surprisingly large for his size mouth. "So Shulk… Littlehom-hom little Hom Hom? And Riki… Nopon… Bionis?"

Riki eagerly nodded, his whole body bobbing from the gesture. "Shulk fast learner! Shulk become good littlepon for Riki! But Riki bring Shulk to Chief Dunga first. Riki show Chief Dunga that Riki best dadapon ever!"

Shulk still could only somewhat comprehend Riki's ramblings, so he simply nodded in agreement to whatever this "Nopon" had in store. He wrapped a small hand around Riki's hand-like ear and followed him as he led him with a bounce in his step inside the towering tree that had caught his eye earlier.

While Shulk couldn't remember any sights before this point, there was a good chance he had never seen anything quite like this. A round plaza stretched out before him with Nopon of various colors- from green to blue to pink and everything in between- scrambling about, many with large, overflowing baskets of wares for sale. In the center of the bustling scene was what appeared to be a shimmering, golden orb hovering above a pool so clear one could easily see to the bottom of it.

Off to the left, a staircase disappeared into a higher level of the tree. As Shulk craned his neck to look up, he noticed that the staircase seemed to wind around the inside of the tree several times, sometimes branching off into more complicated paths. To the right on this ground floor was a path that led to another room entirely.

One of the Nopon in the middle of the room walked towards them. From his signature pink beard and column of hair, he was easily recognized by any Nopon.

"Welcome, Hom Hom, I am Chief Dunga!" Chief Dunga said pleasantly. "It is very good to see up and about."

"Where am I? Why can't I remember anything?" Shulk asked, getting straight to the point.

Chief Dunga sighed.

' _Oh dear. I didn't expect this,'_ Chief Dunga thought with a heavy heart. How heartless of these Homs to leave a poor, amnesiac boy in the snow!

"You are in Makna Forest. And don't worry. We'll take care of you from now on," Chief Dunga responded. He had no answer as to why the boy had no memories. However, he would offer him the best Nopon education had to offer!

Which, surprisingly, wasn't that great.

* * *

A lone figure trudged through the snow, covered in a thick coat. The wind swept aside the cloak obscuring his face, revealing a perfect trimmed, blonde mustache that descended from the upper lip to the chin. His eyes were determined, and his greasy blond hair was partially covered by the red bandana wrapped around his head. His name: Dickson.

Finally arriving at the tower that was his initial destination, he pushed the doors open.

"Sorry I'm late. Had a few problems along the way. Alright, where's the brat a—"

He froze.

The Monado was knocked off its pedestal and its sleek red form could be seen just barely peeking out from behind it. Ignoring the now decaying bodies of the researchers, Dickson sprinted toward the Monado. Upon picking it up, he found that the spiritual body he was looking for no longer dwelled within the weapon.

And, given how the bodies weren't even breathing…

"Bloody hell... Damn it! ZANZAAAAAAAA—"

* * *

In an area surrounded by stars, a smug grinned manifested on Alvis' face.

All according to plan.

The future had been changed to such an extent that nobody was quite sure where it was going to go. And was such a thing so bad?

* * *

 **A/N: What you've just read is a collaboration between Gracidea Shaymin and I! Say hi, Shaymin!**

 **Shaymin:Hello, everyone! This was an idea that was born of a misconception I had prior to playing Xenoblade for the first time, where I assumed from Shulk's Smash Bros. trailer that he had actually been adopted and raised by the Nopon. From there, discussion arose of how this would affect the rest of Xenoblade and, with a lot of help from KingofZeroX, I was able to put it into story form. I hope you are all enjoying the story so far, and I can't wait to write more of this alternate universe!**

 **KoZ: There you have it folks, from the great lady herself! This was a short prologue to what will surely be a grand adventure! See you guys next time!**

 **REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW! Pretty please with babby Shulk on top?**


	2. Life in a Tree

**Chapter 2: Life in a Tree**

* * *

 **3 Years Later**

* * *

"Shulk! Big news!" Riki excitedly exclaimed as he burst into the littlehom-hom's hut. Shulk had grown substantially bigger over the past three years, and they had to remodel the home several times before realizing that they should plan for him to become normal Homs size rather than make it bigger three inches at a time.

Currently, the blond child had a brown, leather toolbelt wrapped diagonally across his chest and a thin blue sash wrapped around his waist above a pair of brown shorts and shoes. A blue feather was poking out from his hair, a gift from Riki's wife Oka. She thought it made him look cute.

Shulk turned around from his workbench, a confused look on his face. Lining the walls around him were all sorts of strange contraptions. From slingshots, to spears with slings attached to them, to even a fishing rod with a blade on the end facing the _fisher_. Shulk claimed it was meant to go into the ground and stick the fishing rod there, but Riki didn't believe him.

Pointy things bad for Riki.

"News? Dadapon have news?" Shulk asked. Riki had taken him and treated him like all of his littlepon. Of course, that meant that he was the adopted son of one of the most in debt Nopon in Frontier Village, but Shulk didn't care. He wouldn't trade him for anyone in the world.

"Bird People coming! No work today! You see them!" Riki squealed in delight. A humongous smile broke out across Shulk's face. He was the most intensely curious about the outside world. Having lived with Nopon for as long as he could remember, Shulk had never once seen anybody remotely like him. Due to him having to work and contribute, he usually missed every chance to meet people from other parts of the Bionis.

"Dadapon sure? But Shulki not finish Pokapoka new hat yet. Shulki think Pokapoka have easier time climbing trees with this," Shulk said, pulling out the most horrific amalgamation of tree branches, leaves, and Deinos claws. The Nopon never knew of the existence of the horrible thing called torture, but if they did, they'd see this _thing_ had to come from the abyss of the worst, most hideous creations known to any creature on Bionis.

"It look finished to Riki!" The Nopon declared with a pure and innocent smile. With glee, Shulk set aside the visual representation of spike damage and ran out the door.

Shulk had heard stories of the Bird People. Riki, Oka, and even some of his littlepon siblings had been lucky enough to spy them as they passed through in the past. Riki even told Shulk once that he saved the Bird People from a dino beast! Dino beasts were very scary, and always the main monsters in Riki's stories. Some of Riki's dino beast stories gave Shulk nightmares, but he always remembered that his dadapon hero always was stronger.

As the duo entered the large tree housing Frontier Village, Shulk began to scan the area for the Bird People he had been so eager to meet. Much to his dismay, however, there were none to be found.

"Dadapon, Bird People here yet?" Shulk asked as he lifted up a random Nopon and looked underneath it.

Riki too was confused. Chief Dunga had announced that they would be here before the next time mushroom would send up the pollen signaling lunch. However, the fungi on the upper levels of the gigantic tree were already releasing the spores by which the Nopon told time, and there was not a single Bird Person in sight.

"Maybe Bird People hungry? Stop for snack time to fill bellies? Then Bird People not eat Nopon food… More for Riki!" At this thought, Riki gleefully bounced up and down.

As if on cue, several Nopon chefs descended from the stairs carrying places filled with what looked like red bubbles.

"Shulki never see those before!" The blond-haired boy exclaimed with starry eyes.

Riki cringed with disgust. "Yuck! Highmore Caviar! Riki no like red pollen orb food! Bird People take Highmore Caviar! Take it again and again until there no more and then ask for more! And if Bird People no get it…" Riki growled loudly before dramatically falling down. "Very bad!"

Amidst Riki's theatrics, Shulk heard the chefs muttering to each other as they carried the strange delicacy.

"Bird People not here yet?"

"Bird people get lost? Makna big and scary!"

"But Bird People visit Makna before!"

"Apex Lake lookout no see Bird People!"

"Maybe Bird People lost?" Shulk asked Riki. Then his eyes widened as he got an idea. Bouncing up and down, Shulk exclaimed, "Shulki find Bird People! Shulki help!"

"Riki have faith in Shulk! Riki know Shulk find Bird People because Shulk Riki's littlehom!" Riki replied with confidence and pride in his Hom Hom son.

Shulk beamed. "Don't worry, Dadapon! Shulki save Bird People just like Dadapon!"

"Go, Shulk! Riki eat! Riki tummy rumbly," Riki excitedly shouted as he sprinted after the Nopon chefs.

With his Dadapon's approval, Shulk rushed out of the tree into the wilds of Makna Forest.

Of course, it never occurred to him where these Bird People would most likely be. Even though he'd spent three years in Makna Forest, he only knew the safe routes nearby. There was a lot he still hadn't explored. However, Shulk had a feeling he'd be able to find some clues if he followed the forest paths.

Making a quick stop at his personal hut to retrieve a slingshot and a wooden blade, Shulk departed from Frontier Village with a smile across his face. As he left, he heard Oka yell, "YOU LET SHULKI DO WHAT?!"

It looked like he'd be gone for a while.

* * *

It was impossible.

A humongous, scaly beast whose size and strength surpassed common sense. In the past, it was always simple enough to get around them. High Entia had all manner of flying vehicles. One could say they had developed a mentality of looking down upon the grounded monsters.

All it took was a single mistake to crash their vehicle.

"Lady Melia, you must retreat to the Nopon village! We will gladly exchange our lives for yo—"

The guard's words were cut off as he was impaled by the beast's tusk. The monster shook its head, sending the body flying before roaring. Behind three more guards, Melia grit her teeth fiercely. Every time! Every time she got into danger her guards got killed while telling her to run away! Was she given these guards on purpose?! Was somebody planning on making her life even worse?!

"How about this, you dolts? We should run and not try to fight something clearly out of our league! We have no obligation to battle it!" Melia shouted, her silver curls bouncing with her rage. Ignoring her, one of the guards lifted his sword and ran at the monster.

"FOR THE PRINCESS!" He shouted, before the monster, the Laeklit Mammut, batted him into the air and sent him flying into a tree. He fell to his death.

"DAMN IT, LEEROTH!" Melia shouted again. Two guards left. As long as they didn't do anything stupid—

"Run away!" One of them shouted, completely abandoning Melia and the other guard.

…

…

…

"...I meant for all of us to leave together…" Melia said in exasperation as she continued to fire spells at the beast in an attempt to support her final guard. This one man. This hero who stayed and protected the not very good at cardio Melia. Surely, he'd survive to the very end and ascend to becoming a true her—

 **CHOMP!**

The monster ate the final guard.

With every last bit of air in her lungs, Melia screamed for help.

* * *

Shulk brushed off the thick grass that scratched at his ankles. Despite the long walk along the bridges to reach below the tree Frontier Village was in, the boy wasn't winded at all. Curious to get a better view to see if the area had changed since his initial descent from the tree, Shulk scurried up a shorter tree with rough bark.

Makna Forest wasn't known for being silent and yet, for once, it was oddly quiet. The squawking of Jungle Quadwings in the distance was faint at best, and no Inferno Deinos rushed by with their heads crackling with fire.

As much as Shulk didn't mind the ruckus of Makna Forest, he did savor the rare moments of tranquil-

"HELP! IN THE NAME OF BIONIS, YOU LOT ARE LITERALLY RIGHT THERE! GET YOUR FURRY BUTTS OVER HERE AND SAVE ME!"

Shulk snapped out of his thoughts and looked north. He could see one of the Laeklit Mammuts that often came near Frontier Village very close by. They generally weren't provoked unless either someone attacked them first or something disturbed their feeding, like-

"Bird People!" Shulk concluded. Quickly, he positioned himself on one of the tree's branches. He made a flying leap onto another branch closer to the scene.

In front of the massive Mammut was a being that Shulk had never seen before. It looked similar to him, or at least more like him than his Nopon family, but had small, white wings sprouting from its head. It wore colorful pink and silver robes much more elaborate than anything he had ever seen anyone wear back home and held a silver staff in front of it as it fired off elemental ether attacks not unlike some Shulk had witnessed the Nopon warriors use.

Shulk had to get this being— Bird Person or otherwise —away from the Mammut before its rampage could reach its peak. The Hompon rapidly snatched a slingshot from his toolbelt and loaded it with a rock he had packed earlier. He pulled back on the slingshot as hard as he could before releasing it and letting the rock hurdle right into the Mammut's face.

The creature immediately turned to look for the source of the harmless but still irritating attack. Instinctively, Shulk leapt to the next tree over and once again loaded and fired his slingshot. This time, it charged towards the tree Shulk was hiding in. The boy then jumped down to the ground and dashed away from the toppling tree and towards the winged being. Taking its hand in his, he began to sprint as far away as he could from the enraged Mammut.

"Who are- What ar—"

"No talk! Just run!" Shulk shouted as the beast raged behind them, knocking over any tree, rock, or poor, tiny being that got in the way. Shulk pulled out a small nut from his toolbelt. He threw it down behind him and the nut casing burst open, causing a pale green liquid to be spread upon the forest floor behind him.

The Mammut ignored it and continued onwards through the puddle. However, upon entering it, its footing was suddenly lost and the creature slipped and fell on its side, sliding into a nearby tree. Melia looked back in amazement, but Shulk just grinned widely.

' _Kelp Mushroom extract! Best for slipping!'_ Shulk thought with triumph as he led her through the forest. Unfortunately, it didn't stall the beast for long. In a few seconds it was back up and angrier than ever. They continued to flee as it began its charge once more.

"Who exactly are you? What _was_ that?!" Melia asked in disbelief. Shulk ignored her as he reached for something else on his toolbelt. He pulled out two seed casings this time and threw them behind him this time.

The first one exploded into a honey-colored goo that blinded the Mammut. The second hit the ground and opened up, releasing a swarm of small insects. The creatures flew immediately towards the goo on the Mammut's face, further blinding it and annoying it as it tried to shake them off.

' _Mashed Honey Rhubarb and Benign Crickets! Benign Crickets love sweet things!'_ Shulk mentally exclaimed with excitement. This time, the creature charged in a random direction as it attempted to free itself from the Honey Rhubarb and Benign Crickets. Shulk pushed Melia to the side as it ran past them and into the trees and started rampaging. Not too keen on taking chances, Shulk pulled Melia past an open wooden gate and inside a nearby cave.

"Hode Lair safe right now. Big, stinky Orluga and stupid Hode hunting. Vangs sleeping too. Mamut scare away other things. We wait for now," Shulk said as he finally let go of Melia's hand and sat against the wall of the cave.

"Hopefully you'll answer this time when I ask who exactly are you?" Melia asked exasperatedly. Shulk turned a joyful smiled towards her.

"Shulk!" He said as he pointed to himself. "But Mamapon call Shulk Shulki. Sound like Dadapon's name! What your name, Bird People?" He asked with a cute head tilt.

' _Bird People? A Homs raised by Nopon? Whatever the case, he saved my life with those makeshift… bombs? I'm not quite sure,'_ Melia thought, her interest piqued by the young boy.

"My name is Melia Antiqua, daughter of High Entia Emperor Sorean Antiqua and princess of the High Entia. You have my gratitude for saving my life, young Shulk. In return, I will grant you one wish," Melia said formally. She couldn't quite imagine what he would want, but it felt like she should offer him something.

"Your wings pretty, Melly. Do they fly?" Shulk asked as he stood and examined them.

' _Calling me so casually even though we first met… Then again, a Nopon raised Homs would have no need for decorum...'_ Melia thought as she knelt down to give the cute kid a closer look.

"They do not. I am a half-breed anyway, so they are far too small to allow flight," Melia replied smoothly, tensing slightly as she said the horrid term. Half-breed. How many times had that name plagued her?

"Half-breed? What that? Can Shulk eat it?" He asked confusedly. Melia let out a sudden laugh. What was that?! Eat it? How pure was this kid? Sure, she knew children were often innocent, but she never had a childhood that allowed her to be so naive. Awkwardly, she tried to play along.

"I suppose… one could…"

"Oh! Shulk know what he want for reward!" He suddenly said excitedly. Melia sighed. If this kid was going to ask if he could eat her, she would most certainly have to refuse.

"Be Shulk's friend!" He suddenly declared. She was taken aback by this. Friend? Did Melia even have any of those? Alcamoth was always filled with people who looked down upon her or looked up at her because of her status. There was never truly anybody she could call 'friend', yet this wild Homs disregarded status, race, and age and reached out to her as a _reward_ for saving her life. Had she ever met anybody so… good?

With a smile, Melia nodded her head. "I'd love to."

And thus began one of the oddest relationships Melia ever would have in her life.

"Now that Melly Shulk's friend… can Shulk touch Melly's wings?" He asked with stars in his eyes. Giggling, Melia nodded. Well, there was the ulterior motive she was looking for. In awe, he gently touched the wings on her head, as if they were some sort of holy artifact. Melia blushed slightly from the touch. A High Entia's wings were rather sensitive, after all. Shulk moved to get a better position in which to touch them, but slipped on a rock and was sent tumbling a little ways down the cave.

"Shulk! Are you okay?!" Melia exclaimed as she ran after the small child. However, his eyes were focused on the object he landed in front of. A large brown and white spotted egg just sitting near the remnants of a bonfire.

"Melly, Orluga took Deinos egg! Bad, stinky, stupid Orluga!" Shulk righted himself and picked up the egg. It was half his height, but he still was strong enough to lift it comfortably. "Shulk take care of it now. No eat."

"Shulk, are you sure that is wise?" Melia questioned as she leaned in closer to examine the egg.

"When Deinos hatch, see Shulk first!" Shulk cheerfully squealed as he raised the egg up higher. "Deinos know Shulk is Deinos Dadapon!"

Melia couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm. Looking out, they noticed light pouring into the cave was already tinged orange.

"Oh my, we better get going... I'm sure your family is worried sick about you."

"Okay! Shulk take Melly home! Get out before big, smelly Orluga come back!" The boy eagerly took Melia's hand and led her outside into the humid forest once more.

* * *

Melia couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as they finally neared the last part of the bridge leading into Frontier Village. Her feet ached with every step. Shulk, on the other hand, acted as if he had just walked to the market and back.

"Shulki!" Oka cried with joy as she hopped towards him and tightly hugged him.

"Shulki no run off alone again! No listen to Dadapon Riki!"

"Mamapon, Shulki bighom now!" Shulk countered, once more using his more Nopon-like nickname. "Shulki bring new Bird People friend too!" He gestured to Melia, who gave a slight curtsy.

"Bird People here!? Tell Chief Dunga!" Oka shouted to all the Nopon nearby, startling a few with her commanding voice. One littlepon waddled off into Frontier Village and emerged quickly with Chief Dunga. Another tried to follow the other littlepon, but he fell down. Nobody really liked that littlepon. There were always "barriers" in his way.

"Princess Melia! It is an honor to have you visit our village!" Chief Dunga bowed, the fluff on his head bobbing. "But why did you come alone?"

"We ran into a little trouble," she recounted with a hint of annoyance. "We were attacked by a ghastly creature, and my men foolishly thought they could take it on. Fortunately, this young Homs boy heard my dignified cries for help-"

Melia stopped herself when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Poking his head out from inside the tree was the one guard who ran away.

He quickly retracted his head. And his handfuls of Highmore Caviar.

"YOU! GET BACK HERE! YOU DESERTED ME! DERELICTION OF DUTY! I'LL HAVE MY FATHER HEAR ABOUT THIS WHEN WE GET BACK!" Melia screamed as she ran after him. Sighing, Chief Dunga looked to Shulk.

"Shulki save Melly, become friends, touch wings!" He swiftly explained. Chief Dunga nodded happily.

"Good job, Shulk!"

"Shulki find other new friend too!" Shulk gently placed the Deinos egg onto the ground.

"...A Deinos egg," Chief Dunga said flatly.

"Yep! Deinos Sauros egg!" The blond boy happily exclaimed.

Chief Dunga fainted.

* * *

"Yum, Riki love dessert best!" the content Dadapon cheered.

Shulk watched as Riki gobbled up the last of the Orluga-shaped cheeses set out on the table and laughed.

"Riki!" One chef scolded. "Those cheeses rare in Makna! Saved for Bird Lady, not Riki!"

"...Where Melly go?" Shulk suddenly realized.

As if on cue, Melia along with Chief Dunga re entered the hall where the banquet had been held. She drew close to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Shulk, may I speak with you?" She asked politely. He happily nodded as he plopped a bit of cheese in his mouth. She reached out her hand and he automatically grabbed it as she pulled him along. Outside the tree of Frontier Village, Melia let go of his hand.

"You are very smart, Shulk. Shockingly so. A small Homs child has a fraction of the years of a High Entia child, yet your ingenuity and physique far surpass most children I've come into contact with. Not to mention how good your character is," Melia said. Shulk smiled embarrassedly.

"Shulk nothing special. Shulk just littlehom," he replied meekly. Melia shook her head.

"You _are_ special, Shulk. So… as your friend, I've decided to help nurture that talent of yours," Melia announced as she reached into her robe. Slowly, she pulled out an object that she then flicked open and placed upon her face. It was a pair of glasses. "From now on, I will be your private tutor and the representative of the High Entia in the Frontier Village!"

Shulk clapped excitedly, unaware of the horror of education that awaited him…

* * *

In Shulk's small hut, sat a large egg.

It shook slightly.

A small crack appeared in it.

Then the egg completely stopped moving…

As if it was waiting for something…

Shulk entered the hut and the Deinos burst out of the egg and leapt onto his face.

"AAAAAAAAH! NO BITEY-BITEY! NO BITEY-BITEY!"

Thus began the relationship of Hode, the Deinos found in the Hode Lair, and Shulk, the Homs found in a sealed tower.

* * *

Dickson sighed as he reclined in his chair. No matter how much he examined the Monado, it didn't give him any clues as to where its master was. He set up in Colony 9 as it was the safest place to look for answers. With Lorithia providing him information from Alcamoth, he was certain it would only be a matter of time before he found the vessel.

"Mr. Dickson, I brought your coffee!" A young voice said behind him. Dickson craned his head to see the tan, red-haired boy carrying a tray with a single coffee cup off to the side. Dickson sighed. The neighbor kid was always doing odd jobs for a small amount of pay and Dickson really needed a coffee machi— assistant. What was the boy's name again? Ryan? Rohan? Who bloody cared?

"Set it down on the desk. Watch out for the wires," Dickson ordered as he stared at the Monado. The neighbor kid slowly made his way through the maze of wires.

"Wires? Alright, Reyn. You gotta be careful. Don't be the jokah. Calm and easy now. Girls are watchin'. Just imagine girls are watchin'. Man, what a buncha pretty gir—"

Distracted by the self-imposed hallucination of pretty girls that actually payed attention to him, Reyn tripped.

And sent the coffee straight into Dickson's face.

"AAAAAAAGH! SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Dickson screamed as he jumped at the poor, frightened boy.

* * *

 **A/N: KoZ: Well, Shaymin, I'd say that's a nice second chapter.**

 **Shaymin:Yep, I'd say a lot happened to Shulk! And we got to meet Melia, too!**

 **KoZ: Here's some math for you! T-Rex + High Entia Knowledge = ?**

 **Shaymin: I'll give you a hint- it's pretty awesome.**

 **KoZ: Anyway, here are some alternate names for Shulk's hat creation thing he made early on the chapter. We briefly joked about making a fic while using the first one as many times as possible. See you guys next chapter with a much older Shulk!**

 **Alt names for the catastrophe:**

Zanza's Buttplug™

Meyneth's Dildo of Doom

Melia's Life

Mist Oil Armor (or the reason why it exists)

Half of Reyn's Armour Sets

THE BARRIER IN THE WAY

Riki's Diki

The Bone Structure of Dunban's Left Arm (or was it right? Well, nobody cares.)

Oka's Cooking Utensil

Mechon Fun Time Every Time

Juju's face

Kenny Rohan's Art

We're freaking putting this in the Author's Notes **(KoZ).** Yes, it needs to be. **(GS)**

 **Question of the Chapter: Can you come up with a name to match these majestic titles? Tell us what you came up with in your review!**

 **REVIEW! REPLY! FOLLOW! Pretty please with Melly's little wings on top? (They're so precious)**


	3. Kicking, Dragging, and Rolling

**Chapter 3: Kicking, Dragging, and Rolling**

* * *

 **7 Years Later**

* * *

"...That is how we can manipulate the properties of high-grade gems in order to bring about the technological marvel of flight," Melia finished as she pushed up her glasses. Shulk was speedily taking down notes with one of the pens Melia had brought from Alcamoth. Currently, they were atop Frontier Village in an outside classroom near Apex Lake. To be exact, it was just a single wooden desk, but Melia liked to consider it a classroom.

"Mell— Miss Antiqua, when are you going to show Shulk the pictures?" Shulk asked as he looked from his desk. He had grown significantly taller and now donned a blue vest, baggy pants, and sandals that wrapped around his feet and offered them greater protection. On the side of his head where the blue feather rested, another now accompanied it. A pale, small feather that Shulk secretly treasured.

It was one of Melia's that had fallen out from her wings.

"Shulk, I know you're a fast learner, but High Entia design plans are highly classified documents. And for the last time, do correct your grammar. It is 'I', not 'Shulk'," Melia lectured. Shulk looked down abashedly. Then, he decided to use it. His ultimate weapon. A talent so great that it could be called an Art.

The Nopon Sad Eyes.

"Shulk, don't think that I'm going to budge from just that," Melia harrumphed.

' _Increasing Nopon Sad Eyes to maximum input,'_ Shulk thought as his eyes widened. His lips, yes even his lips, quivered from the sheer magnitude of the sad face he was putting on. Such a sad face could only be learned from Riki, who incited the anger of Oka daily and was always in debt.

"I-I can't. To t-take such highly valuable documents and use them as education…" Melia said as she bit her lip, forcing the growing guilt that this face formed deep down inside herself.

"Why not take Shu—… me to Alcamoth? Please? Aren't we friends? Best friends? Shu— I touched your wings, you know," Shulk said, as if the last bit was supposed to convince her. Sighing, Melia shook her head.

On one hand, taking the teenage Homs to Alcamoth would draw unnecessary attention. It would also cause her already fragile reputation to plummet even further and she'd have to take responsibility for _every little thing_ Shulk would do.

On the other hand, Shulk was smart. Him sneaking into Alcamoth in some sort of disguise would be inevitable if she didn't take him there herself. That was simply how badly he wanted to go. It would be best to keep on eye on him while she still could.

And above all, Shulk was her friend and possibly the only Homs to understand a twenty year High Entia education in only seven years. She wanted to do something nice for him and, if she knew him at all, she knew the trip wouldn't be wasted on him.

"...Fine. Just this once, I will allow yo—"

"YES!" Shulk interrupted with a shout.

* * *

Shulk grabbed every invention he could off the wall, trying to stuff them all into the tiny satchel Oka had provided with him for trips. Much to his dismay, however, he could barely fit even his smallest slingshots into it, let alone some of his largest and most prized inventions. Still, he had to take his primary weapons.

The first of which was a wooden staff with a fire element ether crystal embedded into the middle of it. Carvings of trees and Nopon surrounded the staff as the ends of it tapered off into pointed edges. The second weapon bore resemblance to a Nopon biter with a long hilt and a "head" atop it. The horrific hat he made for Pokapoka when Shulk was a kid was returned to him, so he did the most logical thing to it.

Weaponized it.

Taking his toolbelt, he secured the staff and biter in some of the open loops he had on the back of it.

"Don't forget Hode, Shulki!" Oka shouted as she led the Deinos, who was carrying several saddlebags filled to the brim with supplies. The young Deinos Sauros had already grown to be slightly bigger than Shulk and completely usable as a mount. The form of the two riding through Makna together was already a familiar sight to the Nopon.

"Mamapon, you sure Shulk need all this?" He asked as he pulled a wooden cooking pot and an entire pound of pollen orbs out of the saddlebags.

"Oka very sure! What if Shulki get lost? Shulki run into monsters? Shulki hungry? What if Shulki need bread? Shulki not know how to bake bread!" Oka ranted as she flailed her small arms about.

"Shulk can eat bread without knowing how to bake it!" Shulk replied confidently.

"But if Shulki no have bread, then Shulk no eat!"

"Shulk have bread!"

Despite Melia's high evaluation of Shulk' intelligence, the Nopon in him tended to show in the most obvious ways. After an hour of sorting through everything his Mamapon gave him, Shulk was finally ready to go.

* * *

Melia sighed as she waited for Shulk atop the tree.

' _Avoid father, avoid Kallian, avoid Yumea, avoid Lorithia, avoid everybody important. Head straight to the Engineering Department._

Finally, Shulk emerged from the entrance to Apex Lake, but—much to Melia's dismay—he wasn't alone.

"Shulk, I'm sorry, but you cannot take Hode with you." Shulk pouted in response.

"But Mell- Miss Antiqua, Shu- I need Hode! And Hode needs me!"

Melia eyed the Deinos Sauros and the many saddlebags weighing him down.

"Hode will be fine here, I promise," she assured him.

"B-But Hode is carrying things from Mamapon!" Shulk argued. Melia sighed as she reached into a saddlebag.

"I can guarantee you won't need this," she continued as she pulled out Oka's cooking pot. "Just bring what is absolutely necessary."

"...Shulk can keep bread?" He asked innocently. Melia lifted an eyebrow.

"Grammar. And why do you need bread? There will be food there," Melia countered.

"...Because Shu— I don't know how to bake bread."

' _He is so very, very smart. Smartest Homs I have ever seen! Just. Have. To. Keep. Reminding. Myself. That,'_ Melia thought as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

* * *

A sea spread out before him, floating islands decorating the sky as numerous monsters roamed their grassy plains. Trails of light connected the islands, forming a web that spread over the Eryth Sea. Far into the distance was an island bigger than the rest.

Alcamoth.

This view greeted Shulk as he emerged from the orb of light that linked Frontier Village to the head of the Bionis. It was breathtaking. The very idea of concept of land floating to him, while explained in Melia's class, was so foreign to his eyes that he did a doubletake. Melia giggled.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? We're at the head of the Bionis now. There's no other place quite like the Eryth Sea."

Awestruck, Shulk shuffled forward, mouth agape. As they made their way through the first teleportation device linking the hovering reefs, Shulk's curiosity was piqued. How did these work? Could he find out how? It would certainly make moving around Makna safer and faster for the Nopon.

Upon reaching the first hovering reef, Shulk noticed a path branching off before the next teleporter.

Before he could inspect further, though, a silver machine resembling some of the technology from Melia's teachings hovered out and opened fire on them, letting loose several beams of light at them. His instincts warning him, Shulk pushed Melia out of the way and crouched down as he pulled his staff out from its sheath on his toolbelt. He growled at the machine.

Nobody targeted Melly.

"Flavel Andos!" shouted Shulk. "Summon Flare!"

An elemental of fire appeared behind Shulk, strengthening him as it waited for his orders. Reaching behind him, he pulled out the biter and charged. The machine continued to fire at him, but he dodged every beam, his instincts seemingly telling him when exactly the machine would fire.

When he reached the Andos, Shulk pushed off of the ground and practically flew up several feet to where the Andos was hovering. Having watched Hode do it, Shulk tried out his faithful imitation.

"Deinos Kick!" He shouted as he sent his foot flying forward in a kick. It impacted against the hull of the machine, cracking the blue sphere that made up the eye of the Andos as the machine was sent spiralling through the air. At this point, Shulk heard fast footsteps behind him. Dropping his weapons, he turned around and put his hands together.

Melia reached him quickly and put her foot on the platform he made with his hands before he boosted her into the air, sending her flying up after the Andos.

"Starlight Kick!" Melia shouted as her foot descended from the heavens, knocking the Andos straight into the ground. It impacted hard and bounced before stopping and struggling to get back up once more. Melia landed as Shulk ran by her, this time holding only his biter. He touched it to the fire elemental he summoned as he approached the creature and the flames wrapped around his weapon.

He leapt over the Andos and swung the biter at its back as it began to float back up.

"Back-Bite!" He exclaimed as his biter tore through the machine, taking out a large chunk of it as he sent it flying back towards Melia. At this point, Melia had already summoned Flare and Bolt. As the half-dead Andos flew towards her Melia pointed her staff at the enemy.

Bolt and Flare flew towards and then pierced through the Andros, setting it alight as mere scrap metal fell to the ground.

Shulk smiled and gave Melia a thumbs-up.

"Thanks for earlier. You've gotten much stronger," Melia complimented as she walked towards him. Shulk looked away, his face blushing slightly.

"A-Ah… No problem…" Shulk awkwardly replied.

* * *

After going between many teleportation devices, Shulk and Melia finally stood outside of the entrance of Alcamoth. The two proceeded to step through the blue light and emerged into a long, gray tunnel.

"Shall we?" Melia asked, taking Shulk's hand. She then led him through the tunnel into a city that was unlike anything Shulk had seen back in Makna Forest. Two moving roads were in the center, with a magnificent winged statue decorating the top. On the level Shulk and Melia currently stood, there were fountains within walking distance bubbling with water. Boxlike machines hovered along the edges of the domed city. Shulk craned his neck to take in the full scene.

Most fascinating of all to Shulk, however, were the residents of Alcamoth. Much like Melia, they were humanoid with white wings on the back of their head and dressed in ornate robes. Their wings all varied in size, with some possessing wings as large as some of the Hiln Shulk had seen on the way, while others had wings as small as Melia's. This was the first time Shulk had ever seen so many humanoids in one place.

"Uh…" His head immediately blanked.

"Shulk? What's the matter?" Melia asked concernedly.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuh…" Was the only sound he could make in response.

"Oh, right. This is your first time seeing so many people that aren't Nopon. This may be a tad too overwhelming…" Melia said frustratedly. She should have prepared him more for this. She swore she saw smoke rising from the poor kid's head. It was as if his mind just completely exploded.

"ˢʰᵘᶫᵏ ᵍᵒᶦᶰᵍ ᵗᵒ ᵗᵒᵘᶜʰ ʷᶦᶰᵍˢ⋅⋅⋅" The Homs whispered. Unable to hear him completely, Melia brought her ear closer.

"Shulk going to touch wings!" He shouted as he ran off.

…

…

…

"What," Melia said, deadpan. Shulk immediately ran to the nearest person and touched their wings before moving onto the next and the next, causing a stream of chaos.

"A Homs kid? Shoo!"

"Scram kid!"

"Oh my! You should buy a lady dinner first!"

"DON'T TOUCH MY FLAPPY-FLAP!"

That last two caused Melia to worry for different reasons than the first two.

It took several minutes for Melia to calm Shulk down and make him apologize.

"Sh— I don't know what came over me. Mind turned white," Shulk said abashedly. Melia sighed as she patted him on the head.

"No, it's my fault. I didn't prepare you first. Anyway, let's move on," Melia said with a small smile. Shulk nodded, guilt seeping into his expression. Melia grabbed him by the hand and pulled him along with her to make sure he didn't separate from her and do something stupid.

Melia dragged Shulk along as quickly as possible, avoiding any further embarrassments. At last, they reached the back edge of Alcamoth's first floor. The tall door leading into the Engineering Department stood before them, its windows illuminated with an orange and blue light.

"Another Homs in Alcamoth? A rare sight indeed," a faintly masculine voice said from behind them.

Melia and Shulk turned to see a Homs with silver hair and a purple coat approaching them, a gentle smile on his face.

"Alvis!" Melia called out. "It is an even rarer sight to see you out in public."

In response his name being called, Alvis bowed politely and said, "A pleasure as always, princess."

Melia turned to her Homs pupil.

"Alvis, this is Shulk. He is a bizarrely intelligent Homs that is half genius and half wild Homs with no sense of culture, class, or personal hygiene…" Melia trailed off before looking at Shulk, who was Nopon Sad Facing enough to almost make her believe it,"...and he is my pupil. Shulk, this is Alvis, the royal family's seer."

Alvis gave a faint smile as he looked over Shulk.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Shulk." As he spoke, his gold eyes locked onto Shulk's. In response, the blonde boy stretched a large smile across his face.

"You're like me! No wings!" He said excitedly. Alvis chuckled as he ruffled the kid's hair.

"I suppose you could say that, Shulk. Neither of us have wings," Alvis said smoothly. Looking over to Melia, he asked, "Could I borrow him for a bit? I'm sure he has quite a few questions for another Homs like me."

"Ah… I was just going to take him to see some of the more complex High Entia design plans. He learns at a frightening pace. However, I'm sure that can wait," Melia said confidently. Shulk turned around and sent a worried look her way.

"No need to worry, Shulk. I will escort you to those plans myself. You may be unaware, but for Melia to visit Alcamoth so suddenly means that she must pay a visit to her family. In the meantime, you shall be my guest," Alvis declared.

"Uhh… Melly?" Shulk looked at the High Entia with fear in his eyes, "S— I'm scared of that man. He's weird."

"It'll be fine, Shulk," Melia said with a sigh. Shulk leaned in suddenly and whispered.

"He smells funny. Like Mamapon when she leaves to have Happy-Happy Time™ with Dadapon."

Melia shook her head. "Just… just go." Before Shulk could further object, Melia began to make her way to the moving roads ahead.

"Well then, Shulk," Alvis began, still watching Shulk's every move carefully but calmly, "shall we get going?"

Shulk continued to nervously stare at him, unable to form words. Alvis responded by firmly grasping his hand and leading him away from the entrance. All Shulk could think about was how much he wished Melia was there to help protect him from this shady man. Eventually, they reached the left corner of Alcamoth's ground floor, where another door similar to that of the Engineering Department waited. Alvis briskly opened the door, gesturing for Shulk to come inside.

"There are too many distractions out here," he explained. "I know somewhere more private."

Shulk looked desperately for a way out, but before he could make a break for it, Alvis dragged him inside. He continued down a long, empty hallway that was only barely lit by some flickering ether lights. Shulk yearned to sprint away from Alvis and out of the cramped hall, but he found his body unable to react due to sheer shock. Alvis seemed unphased by this, and continued to coolly stride along.

At the end of the long hallway was another door, this one locked. Alvis yanked off a gold key hanging from his neck and twisted it into the lock.

"No one will bother us here," he whispered.

' _He's going to eat Shulk,'_ Shulk panicked in his head. The another, more terrible thought spawned in his mind. _'This trick to have Happy-Happy Time™!'_

Alvis entered the dark room, forcing a petrified Shulk inside with him. He flipped a switch to illuminate the room before snapping the door shut behind him, which locked with a click.

"SHULK DON'T WANT HAPPY-HAPPY!" The boy screamed, his hand hovering over his biter. Alvis gave an amused chuckle at his antics.

"I do not intend to harm you, nor do I wish this 'Happy-Happy' upon you if you are so opposed to it," he assured the frightened Shulk. The unnerved Hompon continued to glance at his means of defense despite this.

"I only desire to educate and warn you," Alvis said as he sat down. Looking around Shulk found that only two chairs were in the room, as well as an ominous, long staircase that led downwards. Hesitantly, Shulk sat down on the chair opposing Alvis.

"I am a seer with the ability to see the future, Shulk. There are many more Homs on Bionis than just you and I, to answer your first inevitable question," Alvis said with a smile. "Lend me your hand. I will not harm you."

Still very suspicious, Shulk wasn't willing to at first. After a few moments of awkward silence, Shulk held out his hand to Alvis. Alvis grabbed it and held it tightly. His expression grew somber as he continued to speak, his eyes shining a light blue.

"A day will come when a red curtain falls upon your life, sweeping away what lies beneath before rising to reveal a new stage. You will encounter four powerful Homs. With them you shall regain what you have lost as you face unparalleled dangers, free the imprisoned, and your own... inner demons. If you stay true to yourself, you shall succeed."

Then, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, Alvis fell limp.

"...Al...vis?" Shulk asked cautiously before poking the man.

"SHULK!" He suddenly yelled as he exploded back to life, causing Shulk to jump back and knock his chair backwards and hit his head against the floor, knocking him unconscious.

"...Shulk?" Alvis asked, poking the poor boy.

"Shulk… get up…" He pleaded with the unconscious boy.

"...Oh dear… Princess Melia will have my head…" He said with fear.

* * *

Melia ascended the transparent ramp that led to the Audience Chamber. At the end of it reclined Sorean on his throne, his ornate Imperial Staff resting in his hand. On his left stood Lorithia, the royal scientist, clad in a revealing magenta suit, and on his left were his dashing son Kallian and the first consort, Yumea.

"Your Highness," Melia proclaimed as she bowed to her father. She swore she saw Yumea sneer out of the corner of her eye, but she wasn't sure.

"Melia," returned Sorean formally, "it is quite surprising to see you this suddenly. What is the occasion?"

"I recently took in a pupil while acting in my position as the High Entia ambassador for the Nopon. His name is Shulk, and he is a bit… Colorful, but incredibly bright for his age. I would like to request access to the Engineering Department so I may take Shulk on a tour there."

"Intriguing… Melia, may we have a moment to discuss this?"

Melia rose and temporarily strode down to the other end of the chamber.

"A Nopon student," Sorean spoke softly. "Prince Kallian, your thoughts?"

"There are plenty of Nopon already in Alcamoth, so I believe it isn't out of line," answered the prince with a shrug.

"Indeed, we even have some Nopon scientists aiding in the many research departments," Lorithia continued with her usual playful smile. "The creatures are actually pretty intelligent with the proper education."

' _As long as they believe him to be a Nopon and do not see him, then it should be fine...'_ Melia thought as she suppressed a smile.

"Your Highness," muttered Yumea, "are you sure this is wise? This isn't a Nopon of Alcamoth, after all. The Makna Forest Nopon are quite the different breed."

' _Damn it, Yumea. Do not complicate things,'_ Melia thought as she unconsciously bit her lip.

"I don't see the issue," Kallian assured his mother. "He has been taught by Melia, after all. I trust she would not bring him here if he wasn't civilized enough to mingle with the citizens of Alcamoth."

Melia mentally fistpumped. _'Kallian, I'll make sure you get a much better birthday present this year.'_

"Perhaps we should request that we meet him first and judge him for ourselves," Yumea argued, clearly frustrated at the idea of a filthy mongrel of a Nopon running rampant in her shining Alcamoth.

Melia tensed at this and then coughed.

"Such a thing is not worth your very valuable time. Although he is my pupil, he is still quite young and not well-versed in etiquette, nor is he used to the pressure of your magnanimous presence. At the present time, I do not believe meeting with him to be wise, but the decision is, of course, all yours," Melia suggested. If she could do the Nopon Sad Eyes, then this would be so much easier.

Yumea snorted, but the frustrated aura around her lessened at Melia's blatant flattery.

"...So be it. Just make sure he doesn't touch anything clean. If he wishes to roll around in the trash, he may submit a request," Yumea responded. Sorean eyed her before turning his back to look at Melia.

"If you wish to nurture such a young and curious soul, then I shall allow it… And do tell him to submit that request to me alongside a written explanation for the possible benefits of rolling in garbage. I would like to understand his reasoning, given that he is your pupil," Sorean said, a joking tone working its way into his voice.

Melia curtsied.

"I am most grateful, father."

* * *

Melia went searching for Alvis next, but could not find him. Since she sent him with Alvis to look at Engineering _and_ _then_ asked permission for the action, she couldn't help but be worried. However, this was Alvis she was thinking of. The Royal seer from a long line of seers. He was completely respectable. In fact, she was fairly certain that Alvis, of all the people in Alcamoth, would take the best care of her beloved pupil. There was no doubt in her mind that h—

Alvis was dragging Shulk's limp body behind a staircase.

Melia's mind blanked. Then it slowly began to work again. Confusion… to comprehension… and then to rage…

"Alvis! What are you doing to him?!" She exclaimed as she ran after him. When she reached behind the staircase, she found Alvis on top of Shulk.

Shulk was lying on his stomach, unconscious.

Alvis was lying on Shulk, fear in his eyes as he looked up towards Melia.

Her eyes burned with indescribable rage.

"So, help me to understand this. You attempted to tell him a vision of yours, but then surprised him, he knocked himself out, and then you saw fit to bring him to me. However, you were unable to reliably carry him, so you dragged him. And when I shouted at you, you tripped and fell on him in a compromising position. Is that correct?" Melia interrogated the poor silver-haired man. He scratched the back of his head as he nodded.

"I apologize very much for my behavior. It was unfitting of a persona of my social standing," Alvis apologized profusely. At this time, Shulk started to come to. They were on the second floor of Alcamoth and he was resting on a bench. Upon seeing Alvis, Shulk stood and immediately hid behind Melia.

"Melly… get him," Shulk said as he cowered behind the princess. She sighed as she turned around and patted him on the head.

"I will, but first let us get you to those design plans. We have permission from my family, so nobody will be able to stop us. I'll even allow you to have question and answer time with the engineers," Melia replied with a smile. Shulk afterwards beckoned to her. Curious, she lowered her ear to his mouth.

"I saw some strange black bags that looked very bouncy. I was wondering if I cou—"

"You'll have to submit a request first," Melia interrupted seriously.

* * *

Dickson frowned as he stood outside as lab at the Defence Force HQ. Reyn, the boy who once worked as his lab assistant was running laps around the compound with the other trainees. From what he gathered, the boy was an orphan.

He didn't have any friends either. He was far too loud-mouthed and nobody has the patience for him. Not even Fiora, the sweetest girl in Colony 9, could stomach being alone with him. Perhaps if they had an intermediary, somebody who could be friends with both of them… but nobody was willing to put in the time or effort.

Still, the boy was strong. With nothing else to occupy his time, he threw himself into the Defence Force as the age of 13, first working as a kitchen boy and then moving up to actual training a year later.

Dickson had lost a lab assistant. It was a pity, but there was nobody else willing to work for almost free. Most of the children were busy and the young men and other scientists were either too dumb or couldn't follow orders. At the very least, Reyn could follow orders.

To add to his frustrations, Lorithia still had not found the vessel yet. It was entirely possible she overlooked him, and he told her as much, but that only caused her to angrily yell at him. Which caused him to yell at her. So, due to a fight, she was no longer even helping him and began working on her own.

"If it wasn't for that bloody war that's gonna kick up soon, I'd ditch this place now," Dickson said under his breath. Alvis and even Zanza knew a war would happen around this time. Perhaps in a few years time. However, Zanza's vessel was still missing. If war happened while he was away with the Monado, then the Mechon would make everything a thousand times more difficult.

"PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT, YOU WASTE OF SPACE! I'VE SEEN KRABBEL FASTER THAN YOU!" A man with a prominent, upturned moustache exclaimed. Drill-Sergeant Vangarre was putting the recruits through their paces. Rumor had it he was aiming for the title of Colonel, despite how many ranks higher it was.

Dickson chuckled.

"You brat… I'll see you soon."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER: The Fate of Colony 9**

* * *

 **A/N:** We're not going to spend a lifetime on Shulk's backstory. The premise isn't the backstory itself, but what that backstory changes. Next chapter will be the canon start. Also, for those who wonder about my other fics, do know that this fic is a _collaboration_ and thus is much easier since I am not working alone. Also, it is very fun to write. Shulk's current arts will be below, but more are sure to come. Any parting words, Shay? (Gracidea Shaypon is now her official fanfiction account)

 **Shay:** I really hope everyone is enjoying the fic so far! I'm learning a lot from writing it and enjoying the reactions. I have no recent plans for any fanfiction yet on my own account, but I will keep you updated in case I decide to write a few oneshots! I'm certain it'll happen! Still, it's nice to finally have an account to interact more.

* * *

 **Shulk's Arts:**

 **Summon Flare— Unlike Melia's iteration, Shulk summons before infusing it to his weapon, granting it elemental damage and increasing his strength while he wields it.**

 **Back-Bite!— Unlike Bitey-Bitey and Backslash, Back-Bite combines the best of both worlds, causing bleeding on top of an increase in damage if done from the back.**

 **Deinos Kick— Ever see Melia kick? Ever see a Deinos kick? Big difference. Learned from watching Hode and getting kicked by Melia. Forces Break and deals more damage when used on the front.**

 **Keep Going!— Heals single ally for a moderate amount of health.**

 **Talent Art — Toolbelt! — Uses Shulk's toolbelt and slingshot to fire a nut-encased projectile. Effect varies based off collectable placed inside.**

* * *

 **Question of the Chapter: What kind of Arts would you like to see Shulk have? Let us know in your review! Your opinion matters!**

 **REVIEW! FAVORITE! FOLLOW! Pretty please with Alvis on top** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)?**

* * *

 **Bonus**

* * *

 _'To his Highness Emperor Sorean,_

 _Your Imminence's kindness is unfathomable and I, as a simple outsider, could not fathom to take advantage of it, but I desperately have one request. It would be most beneficial to me, as the requesting party, if you were to grant a commoner such as I a welcome gift in the form of this request. My request is as such: The allowance to roll and/or bounce on the multitude of black bags that are being shuttled around with no discernible reason. An expeditious reply would be most welcome._

 _With all the best wishes of Makna Forest,_

 _Shulk'_

Sorean shook his head as he smiled softly.


	4. The Fate of Colony 9

**Chapter 4: The Fate of Colony 9**

* * *

" _You did great. You fought them off. I couldn't have done that." — Reyn_

* * *

In the training yard of the Defence Force Headquarters, Reyn stretched before rubbing his shoulder.

"Colonel, you really put us through the grinda' today," Reyn complained, his sore muscles crying out in pain. The red-haired, mustachioed Colonel Vangarre snorted in response.

"You bloody know you won't get stronger unless I push you until you puke, Sergeant," Vangarre replied in his usual gruff tone. Due to his long service, Reyn had managed to reach Sergeant younger than most. It most likely had to do with that fact that the war last year had also drawn the boy into it. With his superior physical strength, Reyn was able to make several substantial achievements.

"Guess I should blame Mum and Dad for giving me an iron stomach," Reyn joked. Standing up, he walked to the weapon stand and began to polish his gunlance. It was a Driver, one that specialized in offense and dealing the most amount of damage to the enemy… and thanks to Dickson's research, it was able to harm the Mechon. Most weapons did not harm Mechon, but after Dickson's Monado research turned up fruitless, he decided to arm Colony 9 with these new Anti-Mechon weapons.

"You should blame them for giving you a head filled with rocks insteads," Vangarre said as he leaned back against the HQ building. "Or thank them. It's what's kept your idiotic self safe. I swear, I have never, in all my days, seen a recruit as reckless as you. Least you ain't no sissie."

Reyn smiled. Vangarre always sounded like he was insulting you, but it got a lot easier once you understood the true intent behind his words: "Just thank them for keeping you safe. I'm proud of you."

Or maybe that was all just Reyn's imagination.

He smiled as he got back to work. He caught Dickson leaving the lab out of the corner of his eye. The old man had been one of the few adults Reyn really got to interact with. He was similar to Vangarre in a way. Maybe that was why Reyn and his commanding officer got along so well.

And then the alarms sounded.

* * *

Fiora was downstairs, preparing dinner for her brother. Dunban, like Dickson, was a war hero. Not just any hero, however. He was the one who wielded the Monado, despite the constant rejecting it did of him. He endured the pain and lost the use of his right arm while repelling the Mechon in Sword Valley. Right now, she was making him porridge. He was still recovering, so anything she could make to help him would be best.

Finally finishing, she brought the food upstairs. Dunban was shirtless and had his arm wrapped in bandages as he lay in bed.

"And tonight we're having po—" She stopped her happy tone when she noticed something. Dunban was wielding one of his swords with his left hand. He'd been practicing while she wasn't looking again.

"Fiora, look, I know what you're going to sa—" He started.

"No. Absolutely not," Fiora said, cutting him off. "I will not have you swinging any sort of weapon around. I almost lost you, you know. I don't really have anybody else, Dunban. I know a lot of the people in the Colony, but you're the only person I can really talk to. I don't have any real friends. Only my idiot brother who thinks the only thing he's good for is fighting." Fiora finished and walked over to Dunban. Forcibly handing him the porridge and spoon, Fiora marched downstairs.

Dunban could hear her sobbing begin to start again. He sighed. The war was tough on both fronts. For those fighting… and for those at home. When they brought him back on a stretcher, Fiora burst into tears. She was a social girl, but there was never anybody that she truly bonded with. So she latched onto her brother. He was one of the few supporting pillars of her life.

If he fell, he was certain she'd go mad.

' _Still, I can't sit around and do nothing. I'm a fighter, Fiora. I always have been and I always will be. If I can't protect you, then I have no purpose,'_ Dunban thought as he clenched his sword. He had already lost too many people. Seen too many people die in the war. He'd never let his sister be all alone.

Because he was certain… if he died… she'd soon follow him…

A loud alarm then tore through the air.

* * *

A fleet of dark ships appeared overhead. No, perhaps they had been slowly approaching for a while now. While everyone else was going about their daily lives, destruction snuck ever closer. Citizens gasped, some cried out, as the alarms rang through the Colony. Some had never even heard that particular alarm before, but those that recognized it were overcome with disbelief followed by fear. The machines overhead growing steadily closer only meant one thing.

The Mechon had arrived at Colony 9… and they would bring hellfire with them.

"You idiots! Why didn't you see this lot until they were right on top of us?!" Vangarre barked into a radio.

"Sir, we thought they had all been wiped ou—" The voice on the other said was replaced by static before resuming. Off in the distance, an explosion rocked one of the Anti-Air Batteries.

Turning to his men, Vangarre barked, "Don't let a single one into the colony! Assemble everyone who can fight! Evacuate the civilians to the shelter! Get a move on! Sergeant Reyn, your squad will protect Dickson! Get him and the Monado to a safe zone! Don't stand around gawking! Get a move on!"

The armored members of the Defense Force began to scatter around town, practicing the drill they had memorized with practice. Reyn split off with the group pushing their way to the Commercial District. Even as they began to cross the bridge connecting the two districts, the metallic menaces crashed in front of them, scurrying around and firing off lasers.

A sniper, Dorothy, hung at the back as she took an arm off a larger, bipedal Mechon in the distance with a well-placed shot. Dickson charged forward out of the group and fired at the smaller Mechon with his Sabre, punching holes through the armor. He struck the legs of those not dismantled by his ether bullets with the sword end of Sabre, toppling them and allowing the Defence Force to quickly dispatch them.

"Oi, gramps!" Reyn shouted. "We're supposed to be protectin' ya!" The redhead charged forward, putting himself between Dickson and the oncoming hoard of Mechon.

"BONE UPPER!" He screamed as he straight up punched a Mechon, sending it flying into a few of its companions behind it. Heartened by his success, Reyn pounded the ground hard with his driver, drawing the attention of every single Mechon on the bridge. Which turned out to be way more than Reyn estimated. Counting was never a strong point of his. He heard Dickson loudly click his tongue in disappointment.

"Hey, blockhead!" Dorothy yelled as she fired off a healing bullet in Reyn's direction. "We want to keep the Mechon AWAY from Dickson!"

"I know, I know," groaned Reyn as he raised his gunlance above his head. "War Swing!"

Reyn spun around, pushing many of the Mechon to their watery grave off of the bridge. He then held his gunlance in front of his face, activating the shield within it. Dickson then ran up behind Reyn and jumped off his shoulders, aiming his Sabre at one of the oncoming Mechon.

"EAT THIS! THUNDERBOLT!" He shouted with glee as a flash of electricity pierced through the head of the Mechon. It fell to the ground before Dickson landed and swung Sabre around to decapitate another Mechon to his right. One more came up behind him, but Reyn pushed forward with tremendous force, knocking it to the ground before driving his gunlance into its torso and impaling it to the ground.

"Keep your eyes open, gramps!" Reyn taunted with a grin. Dickson grunted.

"Brat, that one was already dead. I just hadn't gotten around to killin' it yet," he replied gruffly. Before they knew it, there were already far fewer Mechon occupying the bridge. Most had appeared to have withdrawn to the Commercial District.

"Alright, everyone!" Emmy Leater, one of the Captains of the Defense Force, called to the soldiers, "Let's push through while the Mechon forces are thin! Colonel Vangarre will be supporting us while Miller will take the Residential District!"

As the men and women pushed onward, Dickson quickly patted behind him to make sure his most precious cargo was still there. It would inevitably be targeted by the Mechon, after all. He felt a solid blade and grinned.

As long as the Monado was safe, Colony 9 could burn to the ground for all he cared.

* * *

Dunban rushed down the stairs, sword clutched in his left hand. Fiora was already packing various belongings in a backpack. Family pictures, important mementos, and food and water. Upon seeing Dunban's weapon, Fiora glared at him.

"Oh no you don't. We're escaping to Tephra. Now. If you're going to bring that sword, then use it only to protect us along the way," Fiora scolded. Dunban shook his head.

"I can't let only the two of us survive, Fiora. If I can at least save one more person, then it'll be enough. I've lost too many people. I'll need you to go to with the other citizens. I'll protect your back from the Mechon," Dunban said as he ran out the door.

"Dunban, wait! Don't leave me!" Fiora cried as she chased after him.

"Remember these words, Fiora! Let them explain who I am!" He shouted as he charged forward. Dunban breathed in deeply as he unsheathed his katana. The rampaging Mechon all focused on him, their eyes glowing red.

"Born in a world of strife!"

His form was that of a dance, flowing gently through the air like a falling petal during the spring blossom.

"Against the odds!"

Every step was a martial arts form memorized by every tendon in his muscles and every bone in his body.

"We choose to fight!"

Every swing was practiced to perfection without wasting a single movement. Even with his left hand, Dunban was a man who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

"Blossom Dance!"

But Fiora didn't see a swordsman.

She saw the back of her brother running to his death. Recklessly, Fiora threw her bag to the ground and brought out her knives. Dickson had distributed Anti-Mechon weapons to everyone in Colony 9. He often joked that he did it in order to keep his lab funding. Thus, in this battlefield, even Fiora could fight!

"There's no way I'll let you go alone!" Fiora shouted as she ran after her brother. However, she never reached him.

A giant, a titan of steel descended from the skies, landing in front of Dunban. With all his strength, Dunban attempted to slice through this monster. However, this Mechon was different.

This Mechon had a face.

It seemed to shake with laughter with one clawed hand, the Faced Mechon smacked Dunban, sending him flying into a building with its monstrous strength. He felt his ribs break with a loud cracking sound. Dunban struck his sword into the earth, using it as a crutch to force himself to stand. He could not give in. Not with his little sister behind him. He had too much to lose. He charged in again and leaped at the Faced Mechon, but his speed was too slow. His strength too insignificant.

The Faced Mechon caught him out of midair, bringing him close to its face. For a second, Dunban swore the thing sneered at him. For no perceivable reason, the Faced Mechon pinched Dunban's right arm and snapped it, breaking the bone. Dunban didn't cry out. He was only trying to slash at the Faced Mechon with what little strength he had left. Then, with little ease, the monster threw Dunban over the buildings like a child done with a broken toy.

"DUNBAN!" Fiora let out a blood-curdling scream. It all happened so fast. There was no time to respond. There was nothing she could have done. All these regrets and excuses formed in an instant, but they were all drowned out by pure anger. Rage and sorrow that she had never before felt in her life set her entire body alight. With every fiber in her being, Fiora only wanted one thing.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" She screamed as she ran forward. She didn't care about her own life anymore. She didn't care about how weak she was. If she could only hurt the enemy in front of her, she'd die a happy woman.

The Faced Mechon looked at her, regarding her with little interest. As it reared back its clawed hand, something suddenly hit its back. Inexplicably, the Faced Mechon's back exploded as it was sent staggering forward. It turned back to glare at the annoyance that hit it. The Faced Mechon that was supposed to be supporting it were annihilated. In its place, was a group of Homs, their leader holding the smoking rod of a rocket launcher.

Vangarre growled.

"Run, little lady! Let the Defence Force take care of this scum!" Vangarre barked. There were too many Mechon and already more were coming in. If they took out the leader, then they had a chance. If not, then Colony 9 was beyond saving and they could only retreat to Tephra Cave and cave in the entrance with the few survivors remaining. It all came down to this.

Fiora snapped out of her anger. She'd die if she fought. Dunban sacrificed himself to save her. She had to live for both of them. With tears in her eyes, Fiora turned and ran. Even though she knew it was the right thing to do, she felt like a coward.

With the girl gone, Vangarre's Defence Force moved into position. More Mechon were constantly dropping from the sky, breaking into houses and dragging people out just to kill them. Some homes were burning and filling the area with smoke. Only they could end this.

The Faced Mechon moved its heavy body towards them. Reyn led a few troops as the vanguard. The Faced Mechon responded by trying to cut them all to bits by slashing at them with both of its claws. However, Anti-Mechon bullets suddenly rained upon it as the Defence Force set up a covering fire. What they expected would happen would be for the Faced Mechon to move to block the bullets and thus get hit by the vanguard.

However, the Faced Mechon ignored the bullets. No, the bullets were bouncing off of it. Reyn and his troops charged forward, but only Reyn had the instincts to put up his gunlance in time to block the incoming attack. The Faced Mechon's power overwhelmed even Reyn and sent him hurtling back to his other Defence Force members.

His troops weren't so lucky. The men who trained under him, who called him 'Sergeant', and whom he had personally commanded for the last year had their lives extinguished in an instant. The shock would have frozen over his mind, but Reyn participated in the war too. Like all the other veterans, he was too used to death.

"It's not doing anything! Dickson, why the hell are your proudly-touted toys not working?!" Vangarre yelled. Dickson glared back at Vangarre.

"Are you blind, Colonel? He's got a face. He's no ordinary Mechon, you idiot! If he's immune to my weapons, then he might as well be immune to the bloody Monado!" Dickson answered as he fired at the Faced Mechon. Sure enough, it did nothing. Vangarre was suddenly filled with fear. Their weapons did nothing. This was an enemy they could not defeat.

His fear then dissipated. He faced impossible odds before. War could not be won in a single battle. He only hoped Miller evacuated the civilians already. The man wasn't his first choice, but they needed the majority of their forces to secure the route to Tephra as well as protect the Monado since it would draw the most enemies. They now only had one way to survive this.

"Push forward! We'll push past it and secure Tephra! This is a tactical retreat!" Vangarre shouted as he pulled a strange gun from his side. "Flares out!"

' _If he has eyes, then we'll blind 'im!'_ Vangarre thought.

The Defence Force fired their flares at the Faced Mechon. One of them even threw a smoke grenade for good measure. And, with all their might, the Defence Force ran. Once the Faced Mechon was able to see again, it focused on the soldiers and seemed to smirk.

It floated up and began to fly.

The chase was on.

* * *

Dunban landed in the water and struggled as air began to quickly fill his lungs. He was drowning. He only had one arm to swim with and his ribs were broken. If it were anybody else, they'd give up and die. They'd be unable to fight back.

' _I've fought many battles and I survived,'_ Dunban thought as he forced his broken arm to work and took his sword in his mouth. The same arm that the Monado had destroyed was broken by a Mechon. Yet he pushed through the pain and swam. His goal: the nearest Anti-Air Battery.

' _I've seen the devastation of war, watched countless die, and I survived.'_

His perseverance could be called monstrous. At one point, adrenaline had kicked in and the pain was gone. He used that precious time to push his body to the absolute limit. Against all the odds, he reached the AA Battery. Clambering on top of it, he sprinted forwards.

' _I've survived by the skin of my teeth time and time again in order to protect my loved ones, in order to return home.'_

He kicked open a panel on the AA Battery. Inside was the loading area for a special kind of ammunition. Dunban could count the people who knew about this on one hand. It was a secret project, one that had long ago been scrapped. To the right was a single suit hanging on a hook on the wall. At the end was a large capsule, open and ready. A long time ago, Colony 9 tried to develop a method to travel quickly to other parts of the Bionis using an AA Battery propelled-capsule. The only thing that stopped the project was the inadequate launching power. But for Dunban, it was perfect for what he needed.

' _Fiora, if you're still alive... wait for me. You're big brother is coming.'_

He loaded himself into the capsule after donning the suit. After closing the capsule, a screen appeared on the inside. The aiming device was set inside for the convenience of the user. Without hesitation, Dunban focused on the Faced Mechon that was now starting to fly. In the distance, he could see Fiora running for her life followed by the Defence Force.

Dunban smiled.

' _I won't die yet.'_

And then he fired the AA Battery.

* * *

A streak of light flew up from the AA Battery before is suddenly veered to the side, tracking its target. As the Face Mechon transformed into its flight-mode, it was suddenly hit by a large grey capsule. Upon impact, the capsule split open, and Dunban leapt out onto the Faced Mechon dressed in a grey and red suit with a visored helmet.

"You're not going anywhere!" Dunban exclaimed as he clung to the monster. Repeatedly, he stabbed his sword into the Faced Mechon as he tried to pierce it. The Faced Mechon flew into the air, trying to twist and twirl its body to shake him off. Yet Dunban did not let go.

"I'll take you down! I'll save whatever I can, whoever I can, and however I can! Even if I die, I won't let go!" Dunban shouted at the top of his lungs. "Foul Mechon! Taste my blade!"

And, remarkably, a miracle occurred. His sword found purchase in the Faced Mechon's joints as it locked itself between gears. The Faced Mechon suddenly went out of control as it flew and spiralled through the sky wildly.

In seconds, Colony 9 was far below them. They flew up the Bionis' shin, far away from all the Mechon. His body screamed at him, but Dunban ignored it. Every single nerve in his body felt like it was on fire. The pain was driving him crazy and his body begged to him to let it die.

But...

The image of Fiora's face in his mind was a million times brighter than all of it.

He promised he would never leave her alone again, and the promise rang a million times louder than his bones breaking.

"Born… in a world of strife!" He screamed, the poem bring backing his sanity as he tried to move his sword.

"Again….Against! Against the odds!" The metal in the joints was beginning to creak.

"W-W-We… I CHOSE TO FIGHT!" With a loud snap, the joint broke and one of the "wings" of the Faced Mechon's flight form fell off.

The already dizzying flight turned into insanity as the Faced Mechon veered off over Gaur Plains, quickly losing altitude. There was only one thing Dunban knew for certain: They were going to crash. This was it. This was the end. In his weakened state, the odds of him surviving were astronomical.

Yet he still smiled.

"Astronomical" didn't mean impossible.

Using his memory of Gaur Plain, Dunban knew exactly where he was. Hoping he was correct, Dunban let go of the Faced Mechon. As he fell back to the Bionis, his will to live was burning ever strong. When water met his Impact Suit, he let out a small laugh.

' _Fiora… I always keep my promises.'_

* * *

The Defence Force enclosed themselves in Tephra Cave and finally breathed easily. Vangarre turned around to take count of all the survivors. They lost a lot of good men and women along the way, but surely Miller finished his job.

But he was wrong.

Miller never made it. Maybe he ran away. Maybe he died. That no longer mattered. As far as Vangarre knew, the people surrounding him were the only survivors of Colony 9. There were too many Mechon. They couldn't go around and save the Residential District. Judging from the fires, it was most likely already too late.

Vangarre, Reyn, Dickson, Dorothy, Emmy, and Fiora.

These were the only people that could be saved.

* * *

Everybody collapsed with exhaustion after they cleared out the Caterpile nest and the nearby monsters in Tephra Cave. Turning the area into a temporary camp, they all decided to sleep off the pain and exhaustion. Fiora hadn't said a word to anybody. As the only civilian to make it out, the soldiers surrounding her could not even begin to comprehend what exactly she was going through.

Vangarre took first watch for the night, making sure the others could rest while he held off the monsters.

"I'm going out for a smoke," Dickson said as he walked past Vangarre. Knowing full well how strong Dickson had been in the war, the Colonel let him go without any objections. With ease, Dickson made it to Mag Mell Ruins. He ascended the ramps inside the structure, the weak creatures too fearful of him to attack. Dickson then headed through the hallways, eventually making it to the door that led to the Cylinder Hangar.

Sighing, Dickson went through it. From the overhang, he could see the destruction. Mechon swarmed the area like an unstoppable wave of Antols. The entire area was dyed black by the sheer number of them. Almost all the buildings were collapsed and very few were still standing. From his vantage point, he could see the remains of the Residential District. Nothing was left.

With his superior vision, he could see the numerous bodies strewn across the area. Slowly, the Mechon dragged the bodies off one by one. Dickson lit his cigar and placed it between his lips, taking in deep breaths of the soothing smoke.

The destruction was terrible, but this wasn't why he was here. Those corpses meant nothing to him.

A huge, winged beast descended from the skies and landed in front of him. It did nothing, only waited for him to respond.

"So you've found him, Alvis. I always knew I could count on you. Lorithia always had her self-important head up her ass," Dickson said as he took the Monado off his back and threw it to the Telethia. Catching the weapon in its mouth, the Telethia then flew off wordlessly.

"Now… how exactly am I going to explain this to those kids?"

* * *

 **Earlier**

* * *

Miller never made it to Tephra Cave.

There were too many Mechon. And even if they could fight them off, there was no way they could possibly save everyone. Miller was prepared to cut his losses and run with the few he saved. However, his heart was too good. He waited to long. Eventually, his men let him run away. He promised to bring back reinforcements.

Miller was always fast, outrunning Emmy in three seconds flat.

He dodged countless Mechon.

Miller was always quick to dodge the job.

When he reached Tephra Cave, the entrance had already been sealed. Despair overcame him.

But Miller, poor Miller, wasn't fast enough.

And the Mechon, those black machines, took him. As the light faded from the numerous machines crowding him, he felt regret. If he never ran away from work all the time, then maybe he'd have been strong enough to save the people he cared about it.

"Captain… No, Emmy… I'm sorry…"

* * *

 **NEXT: Flames that Burn Within**

* * *

 **A/N: Here's a chapter edited in a hurry so just now Shay and I are proud and I wrote most of this chapter but Shay was a major help and I need to go to work now!**

 **Question of the Chapter: Do whatever the hell you want I have to get ready for work!**

 **REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW! Pretty please with manly Dunban on top?!**


	5. Flames that Burn Within

**Chapter 5: Flames that Burn Within**

* * *

"Shulk, pay attention! Anti-Grav Ether Generators are to be taken seriously!" Melia scolded. Her student was now eighteen years old and his height now surpassed hers. He was once a boy, but had now become a blond man with an impressive physique despite his slim build. All the running around and hunting in the forest had gone well for him so far.

Wearing a vest and shorts, he had three feathers tucked into a thin, leather headband. The blue one he got from Oka, the white one from Melia, and the red was one he himself had gotten after his proudest hunting trip.

"Melly, I already know about the basic concepts of it. I'm sure I could even make one if your Bird People weren't so stingy," Shulk said as he propped his head up with his fist. They were back in the outside classroom next to Apex Lake. His desk had gotten considerably bigger to suit his size.

"Oh really?" answered Melia, trying to hide the sly smile coming on. "You know, learning from books how to build our technology and doing it firsthand are two entirely different concepts."

"I'm sure I can," replied Shulk. "After all, it's not like I'm new to building inventions. I bet I could even improve upon it!"

Shulk could feel that all too familiar feeling firing up in him, that burning desire to get his hands on materials and make them into something more. Burn them, boil them? What new methods could he use to devise new things? The possibilities were infinite!

"But Shulk," sighed Melia, "you've only worked with the materials of Makna Forest. Alcamoth's materials are worlds different from what you're used to. We haven't even gone through metallurgy yet."

"Meta-Lurgy? Dadapon once got the lurgy. He chased the littlepons around and breathed on them with his bad breath. Is it like that?" Shulk asked, not a trace of impurity in his words.

"No, Shulk. It is _much_ more complicated than bad breath. High Entia blacksmiths would smack you if they heard you talking like that," Melia said as she shook her head. Melia noticed him shifting anxiously in his seat. She couldn't help but secretly take some pride in the fact that she had gotten a student so interested in what so many others would find dry… even if he had no idea what the hell it was.

"Fine, I suppose that I should follow my own advice and allow you to gain some hands on experience. After all, what is the point of me teaching you these concepts if you never get the chance to apply them?"

"Thank you, Melly!" Shulk cheered as he leapt out of his seat. Melia chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"I suppose class is dismissed, then. I will need some time to gather the proper materials and spares to allow you a few attempts at building. They should be ready by tomorrow as long as I can convince Father to order them. In the meantime, finish that report on Nopon biology."

"Don't worry, Melly!" the Hompon shouted. "I was able to catch Mamapon and Dadapon last night during Happy Happy Time™! I'll write an in detail report on reproduction!"

"...This is why I don't let you choose your topic to write about," Melia said under her breath.

' _He retains knowledge more when he writes about, but does he really need to write about this?!'_ Melia internally lamented.

An hour later, Shulk saw off Melia as she returned to Alcamoth. Once the princess departed, a voice called out to Shulk.

"Shulk, your eyes are better than mine. Come here for a second," Dunga called out. Looking towards the road leading up the Apex Lake, Shulk could see the familiar village elder. He nodded before following him. Going down to the entrance of the Frontier Village, Shulk was able to see what exactly Dunga wanted him to.

In the distance was a swarm of black shapes flying towards them.

"Those black things? What are they?" Shulk asked. Dunga shook with fear at his words.

"No…. if they're here, then that means...:" Dunga said before cutting himself up and turning to the Nopon behind him.

"Quick, take all the littlepon inside! All Nopon warriors get ready for battle! The Mechon are com—"

Dunga was cut off as a giant figure fell through the trees above them and landed right in front of them. Due to the low visibility of the forest, Frontier Village was poorly suited for battle. And now this creature, this Mechon with a face had surprised them. Its body was spherical and bulky, looking like some sort of fat Orluga. The giant, metal man in front of them laughed as he lifted his large hammer over his head.

"XORD'S HUNGRY TODAY, HAHAHA! I could go for some bite-sized snacks right about now!" The Faced Mechon, Xord, shouted with glee as it brought its hammer down. Shulk was weaponless. He never brought his weapons to class except for ether training. As the great weapon descended, it stopped in midair as if it hit a transparent wall.

"Shulk! Go!" Dunga shouted as he held out his arms. Shulk could barely make out the shining of the ether the chief used to make the wall. Wordlessly, he ran back towards his hut. He had little time to get ready. Other Nopon warriors were streaming out from the tree, but their ether attacks did nothing against the monster repeatedly smacking Dunga's wall with his hammer.

"I SEE! To eat the egg, ya just gotta break the shell first, haha!" Xord laughed loudly as he hit the shield over and over again. As the chief, Dunga was proud of his power in manipulating ether. He didn't think anybody in the village that could match him.

Unfortunately, in order to defeat this monster, he'd probably need several others just like him.

With a loud crash, Xord's hammer broke through Dunga's shield. Left stunned, he could only stand and watch as the Mechon raised his hammer behind him and swung it on a horizontal arc, sending the village chief flying through the air and into the tree. His furry body bounced off the tree, but Dunga knew the damage was too much for his old body.

Shulk ran out of his hut, ether staff, biter, and toolbelt ready, but halted at the sight of Dunga's prone form. The other Nopon, led by Riki, began an assault on Xord as Shulk knelt in front of Dunga. His breathing was weak and rattling.

"Chief, I—"

"No... there was nothing... that could be done. Nothing that... can be done… Shulk… take the others… and run…" The light faded from his eyes. With his last breath, Dunga ordered a retreat.

' _Dunga… died?'_ Shulk's thoughts were a mess. He tried to wake up the silly, sleeping chief. It was a joke right? This couldn't be real. Just a minute ago they were talking. Life… could life be taken away so easily? Could somebody he cared about really die so easily? But no matter how many times he shook Dunga's body, it did not move.

Dunga was dead.

The chief that let the Nopon raise him and that watched over his entire family… the village's grandadapon…

Shulk stood, the sounds of battle in the distance. His fists were clenched as a single tear fell to the ground. He took his biter in one hand and his staff in the other. Unlike his previous one, this one had a much larger fire crystal installed in it. It was so large that the entire width of the staff had to be increased in order to fit it. He walked towards Xord who was doing battle with the army of Nopon.

The black shapes on the horizon finally arrived.

The Mechon-carrier ships dropped several dozen Mechon upon the village. As they stood on their metallic legs, gears whirring and twisting as they began to move, Shulk swayed from side to side.

He felt dizzy, like his entire world was moving out from beneath him. Anger? What was that? Shulk had never felt such an emotion before. He lived an idyllic life, completely snuggled away from all the horrors of death and deceit. Hunting with his family, playing with the littlepon, talking with Melia long into the night… He'd been so happy.

"I… I'll..."

Yet these Mechon were going to take it all away. Just deprive him of everything. Why? Why did they attack him? Did he do something wrong? Would they leave if he apologized? No? What could Shulk do? How could he make them leave?

"I-...Shulk...Shulk… kill…"

In the end, there was only one option.

"Shulk kill you," he said as he held out his staff. A flame elemental was summoned before going straight to his biter, setting it alight. Other Mechon were enclosing him, but his eyes were only focused on one thing.

Xord.

He rushed towards the first Mechon, bashing its head in with the biter before kicking off its body to shoot straight at the next one. He swung his biter and knocked the machine's head off, wires and cogs left only in its place. With his staff he continued to summon fire elementals. As a Homs, he was bad at using Ether. He could only use Summon Flare. But his stubbornness in pursuing only one element until he could make up for his deficiencies pushed his skill to a level not even Melia had seen before. Melia could only summon three elementals at one time.

Shulk summoned five with ease.

"Elemental Discharge!" He shouted at the five elementals shot out towards five Mechon, burning them to ash. His path now clear, Shulk ran towards Xord as the other Nopon started to focus on the attacking Mechon. Behind him, he heard explosions. The Mechon must have started dropping bombs now.

He didn't care. Dunga's last words rang in his head, but he didn't listen. Shulk only had one thing on his mind. He would make Xord pay. As he approached, he saw that the only one still standing against Xord was Riki. The others were scattered, either unconscious or dead. Shulk couldn't tell anymore. They were engaged in fierce combat, with Riki darting here and there to avoid attacks. Riki was tough, the toughest Nopon that Shulk had ever known.

Just as he reached them, a hammer blow sent Riki flying towards Shulk. He caught his Dadapon with ease.

"Shulk… no. No fight," Riki said as he coughed. Wriggling out of Shulk's arms, Riki landed on the ground and picked his biter up again. "Let Dadapon be Heropon."

"No," Shulk said as he moved to stand in front of Riki. "Shulk kill Xord."

"AHAHAHAHA! A Homs?! A Homs talking like a bloody Nopon?! This is the most fun I've ever had with my food! Come at me, boy! I'll have a whole tree full of roasted Nopon next!" Xord exclaimed gleefully. With horror, Shulk spared a glance behind him.

The tree, the great centerpiece of Frontier Village, was on fire.

All the Nopon that couldn't fight were in there. The littlepon were in there. Mamapon was in there. After he killed those Mechon, he never looked behind him.

When he heard the bombs, he didn't look behind him.

When Dunga told him to escape with the other Nopon, he ignored him.

With every fibre of his being, Shulk wanted to fight Xord. He wanted to kill him and rip him to shreds. He wanted Xord to understand the pain he was feeling right now.

But still…

Shulk put away his weapons, picked up Riki, turned around, and ran.

"A chase?! I love to catch my own food, hahaha!" Xord squealed as he ran after them. With this hulking beast of steel after him, Shulk wasn't sure if he could outrun him. He spent so much of his life running in the forest, growing stronger and faster. Yet despite this, his own confidence was shaken. However, he still had something up his sleeve.

He reached into his tool belt. He'd gotten some good materials from the Eryth Sea.

He threw a nut-casing behind him, causing a dark brown liquid to be spread upon hitting the ground. Xord ran right through it, slipping and losing his footing before crashing off the side of the high walkway that led to Frontier Village. He could hear trees attempting to break the Mechon's fall as it plummeted.

' _Oil Branch sap is much more effective!'_ Shulk thought with relief. Dropping Riki, the two of them ran into the flaming tree.

The air was instantly sucked from their lungs as smoke took its place. His eyes started to water and his skin was starting to burn from the intense flames, but Shulk didn't stop there. Running towards the pond in the center of the first floor, he could see Nopon sheltering there and trying to stay away from the flames. Oka wasn't there, but he couldn't ignore those in front of him.

"Riki save Oka!" Riki shouted as he took off towards the stairs, With a nod, Shulk jumped into the pond and covered himself with water before grabbing two Nopon and hurling them out of the entrance. He did it again and again, throwing the Nopon that he knew could take it and carrying the littlepon carefully so he didn't hurt them. One of the Nopon called Berryjammy wanted him to carry her the whole way and even blushed as he picked her up, but Shulk threw her anyways. No time to be nice to girlypons.

As he threw the final Nopon out of the burning tree, one of the burning walkways collapsed and fell in front of him, blocking his exit. Shulk reached into his tool belt as one last idea appeared in his head. He brought out a whistle. With the last of the oxygen in his lungs, he blew the whistle.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT BRAT!"

Xord burst in while he was still blowing the whistle, completely destroying the debris. Shulk still continued to blow the whistle. Xord lumbered forward, his titanic form towering over the Homs. Finally, Shulk pulled away the whistle and smiled. Falling onto his back, Shulk weakly pointed his staff at Xord. When that Mechon entered, oxygen entered long enough for Shulk to slightly fill his lungs.

"Hode, come."

" **URRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWW!"**

A monstrous roar shook the trees as the earth-shattering sound of footsteps resounded behind Xord. Before he could fully turn around, a creature slightly bigger than even Xord crashed into him, knocking him even further into the tree before it pounced on him. Xord screamed as he flailed and tried to knock the dinosaur away, but the thing, Hode, grabbed Xord's arm in between its jaws. The Mechon tried to smack the Deinos Sauros, but it was too tough for him to do anything in this position. Even if normal physical attacks didn't work on Mechon, the might of this monster far surpassed Xord's. After all...

This thing was a fucking Deinos Sauros.

The Deinos Sauros kept attacking Xord as Shulk got to his feet and ran up the stairs. Riki and Oka were still in the tree! As the battle of titans took place on the first floor, Shulk ran into Riki. His Dadapon was passed out from inhaling the fumes. Sighing as he grabbed Riki, Shulk continued to run.

Mamapon was somewhere!

A crash resounded below as Xord finally hit Hode with his hammer, sending the creature far enough away for Xord to now run away from the Deinos Sauros as he began to fly upwards.

"YOU THINK A PILE OF MEAT LIKE THAT WILL STOP ME?! COME BACK HERE BOY, I'M FEELIN' HUNGRY!" Xord shouted at the top of his lungs as he flew after Shulk. Pieces of the buildings and bridges were constantly falling, closing some routes and destroying others. Using every sense and instinct available to him, Shulk ran and swung and climbed up the burning tree as flaming debris fell upon Xord. However, this merely rolled off of him like water off of a Brog. He'd use his toolbelt, but the current conditions were far from optimal for aiming. He only had to run. The enormous mechon constantly swung his hammer at Shulk who just barely managed to swerve out of harm's way.

Desperately searching for an escape, the fleeing boy could barely see through the thick smoke that the usual corridors to the viewpoints outside of Frontier Village had already been sealed off by the fallen, combusting platforms from above. There was only one way to exit this burning wasteland he once called home. One route he could take to give his Dadapon some fresh air and help revive him. One possible exit his Mamapon and the littlepon could have possibly ran toward.

Straight to the top of Frontier Village.

As Shulk desperately ascended, his hands having little time to register being scorched whenever he had to grab a flaming plank, he saw Riki's own house, the same one he'd visit often and watch his Nopon siblings play around. It was beyond recognizable as it smoldered, its colorfully painted exterior charred to black. As Xord swung once more, Shulk hurled himself out of the path of the iron mallet, causing it to crash into what remained of the tiny home. Too filled with adrenaline and panic to grieve, he reached for a hanging bridge and hoisted himself up.

"I didn't know Bunnit was on the menu! You like hopping around do you?!" roared Xord, a hint of laughter in his booming voice. "WELL HOW ABOUT YOU HOP RIGHT INTO MY STOMACH, HAHAHAHA!"

Shulk felt Riki squirm slightly in his left arm as he barely opened his eyes. Using all of his strength, Riki hoisted the biter from Shulk's belt and held it high.

"Shulk… Hold Dadapon up!"

Shulk was confused, but he trusted Riki with his life. He gained his footing quickly on the platform by where Chief Dunga's home once stood and raised the Nopon above his head.

"B-B… B-Burninate!"

Before Shulk could question how fighting fire with fire would possibly help, Riki began to spin around. The force of his spin as he breathed out embers was just enough to lift Shulk off of the platform and upward. As they hovered through the air, Shulk felt something slip out of his hair. He twisted his head as the blue feather Oka had given him so many years ago drifted away and gently floated to a nearby ledge engulfed in flames. Desperately he reached out his right hand to grab at it, but his fingers merely grazed it before it drifted out of view.

Before the Hompon could register the loss of one of his most precious belongings, Riki ran out of steam and the duo landed by the Prophecy Hut, its natural green hue turned into an eye-searing red.

As Riki once again collapsed into his adopted son's arms, barely conscious, Shulk glanced around desperately for the rest of his family. Not a littlepon was in sight.

' _They probably are long gone,'_ he told himself out of desperation to calm himself down. The only other alternative was unbearable. Gently, he set his father down, the Nopon barely able to stand on his stubby legs.

"Dadapon! We need to run befo-"

But before he could speak, the steel titan crashed through one of the hanging bridges and a large chunk of the platform on which the Prophecy Hut was housed, causing fiery splinters to fly all around.

"Hello, all! I'll be your chef for today! On the menu, SMOKED BRAT AND ROASTED NOPON!" He bellowed, preparing to swing his mallet once again. Shulk and Riki dashed with the very little energy left in them towards the opening that led to Apex Lake, but Xord brought his hammer down right in their path. Shulk went to grab his staff, but his legs gave out. Between the climb up the entirely of Frontier Village and all of the smoke he had inhaled, his body had reached its limit. Xord held up his hammer, preparing to deliver one final blow to the collapsed boy.

"Awww, feelin' tired? Don't worry, boy. You'll rest easy… IN MY STOMACH!"

Shulk took his biter from Riki, who was sprawled out beside him. He raised it up, hoping against the odds that it would be enough to stop the mechanical menace. Deep down, he knew it was a last ditch effort, but he had defied expectations more than once. He closed his eyes as the mallet came down…

"Shulki! Look out!"

Something suddenly shoved Shulk to the side as the hammer descended. He saw the giant weapon pass inches before him. And he saw the smiling face of the one who saved him.

"Mamapo—"

The hammer crashed into the ground cutting him off as his mother disappeared beneath the weight of the weapon. She'd made it out. She'd been waiting for him. He led Xord right to her. She saved him because he couldn't save himself. His mother who always watched out for him, made sure he went to bed on time, and scolded him whenever he got injured...

Gone. Oka was gone.

Xord lifted his gore-covered hammer and laughed.

While Dunga's death had filled him with rage, Oka's took the life out of him. All the rage that was once there was overcome with sorrow the likes of which he had never felt before. His entire life was changed. There was never any going back to the happy life he had before. He'd been taken from and taken from by this one monster. His home was gone. His loving mother destroyed. The jolly grandfather of the village too, had been taken away. Even if he fought and won, it would never bring any of it back.

He knew that. He knew it was pointless.

But his body was moving on its own. It was like his body wasn't even his anymore as he stood to his feet. Xord laughed as he said something, but Shulk couldn't hear him anymore. He couldn't hear anything anymore. All he saw was the joyful form of that monster.

' _ **Kill,'**_ something inside him said. And he agreed.

At that moment, something fell from the sky, piercing the ground in front of him. He looked up at the sky to see a flying creature overhead. In the ground, waiting for him to use it, was a red blade with a large hole above the hilt.

"Dinobeast…" Riki whispered.

Shulk picked up the red blade in front of him and screamed as every single nerve in his body lit up from the electricity flying off of this blade.

Then Shulk saw the future.

* * *

 _A shady man with a body covered in metal shouted, "What the hell is that?!" as Shulk and Hode entered the scene._

* * *

 _A man with a red, upturned mustache fired bullet after bullet of his machine gun into a countless swarm of Mechon while screaming, "COLONEL VANGARRE WILL_

 _NEVER FALL TO MECHON SCUM!"_

* * *

 _A woman's voice said to him, "If you choose this path, then know that I must kill you just like we killed him."_

* * *

 _A triangular Mechon with a face laughed as he moved at impossible speeds and exclaimed, "Too slow, Monado boy!"_

* * *

 _A red-haired man and a dark-haired man were back-to-back laughing as they held off the attacks of two separate Faced Mechon in a land made of metal._

* * *

 _Melia lay on the ground, blood oozing from a wound in her side as she said, "Do not cry for me. Just know that I have always loved you."_

* * *

The blade opened up and a column of light appeared. Shulk eyed the mechon. While its Face couldn't emote, it seemed to emit an aura of shock.

"Th-the… The Monado?" He gave an annoyed chuckle and took his hammer up once more. "No matter, it's not like the brat knows how to use it! You're just a stupid little Homs that thinks he's a Nopon!"

Xord slammed the hammer into the ground, creating a series of shockwaves that took out the majority of the platform. The Prophecy Hut collapsed, sinking into the climbing flames below. Something clicked in Shulk's mind, and as if time froze, he saw a scene play out to him.

* * *

 _The wood underneath Shulk gave way, causing him and Riki to plummet to their death._

" _What a shame…" The hulking Mechon muttered sarcastically. "At least I like me a good roast!"_

* * *

Shulk scooped up his Dadapon, still in shock from the loss of his beloved wifeypon and the sight of the Dinobeast, and leapt onto the remainder of the ledge leading out to Apex Lake. The waves from the hammer destroyed the remained of the final indoor floor of Frontier Village. Shulk gently placed Riki just outside of the opening before turning to Xord once more.

"Sh-Shulk…?" Riki managed to utter, still barely able to move.

The Dinobeast hovered over to them. Shulk took a deep breath, something primal stirring inside him. At once, he vaulted through the air, grabbing onto the blue creature's back and hoisting himself upright. He balanced on its back, the strange blade held out as they glided towards Xord.

"Shulk!" Riki cried out, barely managing to scramble to his feet. "No fight! Too dangerous! Flee with Riki and littlepon!"

But Riki's pleas didn't even seem to register with his Homs son.

"DINOBEAST!" Shulk screamed at the top of his lungs. "KILL!"

Responding to his command, the Dinobeast flew at Xord like a comet. Xord raised his hammer, but the Dinobeast was faster, slamming into him and lifting him into the air. Xord tried to fight back, but the Dinobeast was too strong for him. Leaping from his mount's back, Shulk landed on Xord. He tried to stab Xord, but the blade was deflected. He clicked his tongue, but then he saw it.

When Xord had his guard down like this, he had several chinks in his armor, small spots between the metal plates that led to exposed wiring. He grinned evilly as he then stabbed the blade of light in each of those spots. Xord screamed out as he did so.

The Dinobeast climbed ever higher into the sky.

"THIS FOR VILLAGE!" Shulk screamed as he stabbed between Xord's joints. The Dinobeast assisted him by grabbing and pulling on the arm he was targeting. With both of their efforts, they tore Xord's right arm off.

"THIS FOR DUNGA!" Shulk screamed as he twisted the metal once more and, with the Dinobeast's help, tore off Xord's left arm. Shulk then moved to the front of Xord's face and looked at him in the eyes.

"Wait, NO—"

"AND THIS FOR MAMAPON!" He roared as he slammed the blade into Xord's metallic mouth. With all his strength, all his sorrow, and all his rage, Shulk pulled Xord's head free and sent it flying into the sky. It went up a little before it fell, landing right into the Dinobeast's gaping mouth.

Jumping back onto the Dinobeast, Shulk only said one word.

"Drop."

And the body of Xord fell to the earth.

* * *

The evacuated Nopon fled for hours to distance themselves from the great fire, only stopping when they reached the lake near Sap Cave. It was decided that the displaced villagers would temporarily settle there until it was safe to begin the search for a new home tree. In the distance, Frontier Village continued to burn, the flames lighting up the night sky.

Some young Nopon men had returned to the village to help extinguish the flames to prevent their spread once it was clear that the Mechon that had terrorized it were no more. Frightened littlepon hugged their mamapons and dadapons, who stroked their little heads to sooth them. Hode guarded them, intent on keeping the Nopon safe from lesser monster. The Dinobeast had long since flown off.

Lalapa, the advisor for the late Chief Dunga, gave a sigh.

"Frontier Village built in oldest tree in Makna. Older than Chief Dunga's great-grampypon. Nopon might not find big enough tree for all Nopon again."

The purple, spectacled advisor turned to the lake, where a littlepon and an older Nopon were playing. He recognized them as Leku and Kilaki.

"Brotherpon! Can Kilaki be Heropon now?"

The mushroom-capped brother groaned.

"No, Kilaki! Lalapa choose new chief first! Then new chief choose new Heropon!"

"Maybe if Kilaki get tasty meat... " The littlepon drifted off in thought, a complicated plan clearly going into motion in her head.

"Kilaki, if this to lure Obsessive Galgaron again… Don't make Shulk save Kilaki twice!"

"No, no! Kilaki use tasty meat for other reason!"

"If Kilaki no eat meat or use meat to lure monster…" Lalapa began, trying to wrap his mind around his sister's thought process.

Across the lake, Shulk sat, staring at the red blade on the ground in front of him. What did that monster say it was called again? The Ponado? The Banado? The Lovenado? He felt he was somehow drifting even further from the thing's real name...

As he leaned forward to further inspect it, he felt a tiny paw tap his shoulder.

"Mr. Shulk?" A girlish voice asked. Shulk looked over to see Berryjammy next to him, a sweet smile on her face.

"Yes, Berryjammy?" He replied, returning a somewhat melancholy grin of his own.

The pink Nopon leaned over close, her little mouth by Shulk's ear. In a tender, quiet, voice, she proceeded to whisper softly.

"This for throwing Berryjammy hard away from Shulk." She followed up these words with a slap from one of her wings to Shulk's face before waddling away.

"SHULK NOT KNOW HOW TO TREAT LADY!" She screamed as she left in a huff.

"Ow…" Shulk moaned as he felt his stinging cheeks. "I wonder how she got the title of 'Miss Sweetness...'"

Riki watched the episode from a distance. He couldn't help but laugh to himself.

"That like how Riki met wifeypon!" He recalled, smiling slightly before reality set in once more.

' _Riki wifeypon gone… Riki no say goodbye. Riki watch littlepon alone. Riki no hear her voice ever again…'_

"Hubbypon?"

"Wifeypon?" Riki called softly, glancing in the direction of Oka's voice.

"Oka proud of Riki. Riki help littlepon be safe."

The chubby Nopon beamed. "Thank you, Oka! Riki no raise littlepon well without wifeypon's help!"

"That right! Reckless Riki! Make Shulk in danger! Eat all pollen orbs! Riki useless without Oka!"

Riki started to tear up at this. Then Oka's voice became soothing.

"But Riki goodpon. That why Oka marry Riki. Riki reliable when Oka need it. Remember, hubbypon: Oka love Riki forever." And then the voice faded into a whisper, leaving Riki alone. Bittersweet tears fell as he sat down and looked up at the stars.

"Riki take responsibility. Make sure no more mamapon go away. Wifeypon be proud of Riki."

* * *

The following day, Riki stood in front of the gathering of Nopon.

"Riki chief now!" He declared. He was instantly met with booing. Nobody wanted the Debtpon to lead them. Another week and he'd be the Heropon. Of all the candidates, he was probably the worst and the least experienced.

"No, Riki serious! Nopon need strong leader! Riki strong! Find new home! Riki not smart as Dunga and Riki not leader like Dunga… but Riki love Nopon like Dunga!" He declared. The boos were silenced.

"What Nopon do?" One asked. Riki smiled.

"Nopon live! Shulk new Heropon! Shulk find Hom-Hom friends to make new home!" Riki proudly announced.

"HUH?!" Shulk shouted in surprise.

* * *

" _I will not have a princess of the High Entia just run to her death! You'll stay in the royal palace until the Mechon are gone!"_

 _"But my student i—"_

" _IS NOWHERE NEAR THE IMPORTANCE OF MY DAUGHTER! You are a princess, Melia. Not a soldier. Royalty does not fight on the front lines."_

Her argument with her father echoed in her head as Melia paced back and forth impatiently in the garden in front of her Imperial Villa. Outside stood two royal guards who occasionally glanced back at her. Hours had passed since Sorean's order, but she knew her opportunity would come soon.

As if on cue, one of the guard's yawned.

"Lar'shen, are you already tired?" The other guard boasted.

"You're not the one with back issues, Galdo!" Lar'shen shot back playfully.

As the two continued to banter, Melia quietly approached the door and politely knocked to get their attention.

"Lar'shen? Galdo? It is an awfully stuffy night… Can you take me out for some fresh air?"

The duo eyed her with suspicion and turned to each other.

"Well, it's not like she can fly," Lar'shen whispered to his colleague. "Her wings are far too small."

"What is she going to do?" Galdo chuckled. "JUMP? Haha! Jump?!That would be downright fatal."

The two then turned back to the princess, who quickly hid the fact that she was glaring holes through them.

"Very well, Princess Melia. We will allow you to accompany us for an hour at Eryth Sea."

The three High Entia left Melia's villa and made their way through the palace, the two guards keeping a tight grip on Melia's wrists the entire time. Soon, they had made their way through the bustling streets of Alcamoth and through the tunnel to the teleporter that led to Eryth Sea. As they entered it and emerged outside, Melia took a deep breath of the salty air.

"Oh my, what a view…" She gasped, gazing into the star-filled sky. "I want to savor this moment for posterity… May I please get a closer look?"

"Well, you were well behaved during our journey here," Lar'shen answered with a shrug, "And my back is getting sore from all of this gripping and walking."

Just as Lar'shen released Melia's wrist, she dashed forward, forcing Galdo to release his grip on her.

"PRINCESS!?" Galdo screamed, attempting to catch up to her. "Just what do you think you're doing!?"

Melia reached the ledge and leapt off, her form seeming like it would land amongst the stars.

The guards ran after her, looking down for any sign of her only to see a strange image floating away. On top of the parachute was an image of a cartoon Nopon with the words "Riki Tested! Riki Approved!"

The guards looked at each other confusedly.

"Where in Bionis was she keeping _that_?!"

* * *

From the wreckage of a great metal being crawled a brown-haired man with dark circles under his eyes. Given the grassy fields surround him, he was certainly on Gaur Plains. He sighed.

His ultimate weapon, his treasure he endearingly called Metal Face, was in ruins. And it was all thanks to that accursed wannabe hero, Dunban. Even after he thought he killed him, Dunban still survived.

Mumkhar kicked a piece of scrap metal in frustration.

He was a failure. Failed to keep his Face Unit safe and failed to retrieve the Monado. At the very least, he could _try_ to make it to Sword Valley without getting killed by the wildlife. Suddenly filled with anger, Mumkhar, the former member of the War Hero trio alongside Dickson and Dunban, slammed his claws into the earth.

"I'll get you next time, DUNBAAAAAAAAAN!"

For now, he had to head through Satorl Marsh…

* * *

 **A/N: HERE'S A THING IT'S DONE YAY!**

 **Shay: We got through this chapter pretty quick, but it was such a blast to write that we couldn't stop. It even made me cry a little.**

 **KoZ: I wrote the sad parts. She kept bragging about beating Mother 3 XD Anyway, see you guys next chapter!**

 **Question of the Chapter: What stories do you think the visions tell?**

 **REVIEW! FAVORITE! FOLLOW! Pretty please CUZ I'M FEELIN' HONGREH!**


	6. Those We've Lost

**Chapter 6: Those We've Lost**

* * *

Fiora dreamed of Dunban. It wasn't all that surprising. She'd expected to have the same dream of him being thrown away so easily for the rest of her life. Everything was gone. Her home, her family, her friends… the only thing she had left was her life, the last gift her brother gave her.

"Oi, Fiora. Get up now. We're moving along," a voice said. She opened her eyes to see that red-headed loudmouth. How was he so chipper? The kid was always a mystery to her. Even when everyone ignored him and none of the kids played with him, Reyn was still able to smile. It was an otherworldly strength. Even if he was alone, Reyn would not falter.

For the first time in her life, Fiora was envious of him.

"Okay," she said quietly. Without saying a word more, Fiora began to pack her things and get ready. They still had to make it through Tephra, and it was very likely that Mechon were waiting on the other side of the cave.

"Colonel, where did gramps go?" Reyn asked. Vangarre frowned.

"Coward ran away! What a big 'war hero'! I bet he's quivering in his boots with piss dripping down his leg without us!" Vangarre said before spitting out onto the ground. Dorothy and Emmy looked uncomfortable, and even Reyn's smiling face faltered for a second. But Fiora didn't care.

These people helped save her and she knew Dickson a little bit through Dunban, but… after all this, she wasn't going to needlessly hand out sympathy. They were one man down: so what?

The crew began to march through Tephra Cave with Vangarre leading them and Dorothy taking the back. Reyn, having had the most training in defending others, was walking beside Fiora. She was the only civilian left. If they couldn't protect her, then why did they even exist?

"Look, Fiora, it'll be fine. We'll get ya out of here and then we can start over. I say we go live at Colony 6. I always heard it was nice this time o' year," Reyn suggested cheerily. Fiora glared at him. His happiness was pissing her off. She wanted to mourn. She wanted to go build a grave. But no. She was stuck with a clown in a cave being led around by a clown of a Colonel. If only the Defence Force was better at their job, then it wouldn't have come to this…

"Shut up," Fiora replied bruskly. Reyn let out a laugh, as if it was all a joke.

' _Annoying. I really can't stand him, after all,'_ Fiora thought irritatedly.

"Oi, Dorothy, Emmy! The princess here is being sullen! C'mon and cheer her up!" Reyn said as he called the two females over.

Dorothy groaned at Reyn's blunt call for help.

"Reyn, she's been through a lot. She's a civilian! She's not trained for these types of situations! Ugh, let someone who knows how to interact with other Homs handle it."

Emmy and Dorothy each walked on opposite sides of Fiora, the sniper bumping Reyn slightly out of place to squeeze in.

"What did I do?" Reyn asked in frustration.

"Fiora, if you need to let it out, please go ahead," Emmy began. "I know I have had many moments where I felt helpless without my men."

"Shut up! Please!" Fiora snapped. They didn't understand. It wasn't just the helplessness. She was used to that by now. She knew she could never save Dunban if he needed it. She was just… lost. The last thing she wanted was for all these people to keep bringing it up.

"Smooth, Emmy," Dorothy grumbled. "Let me handle it. I've always been better at sympathizing with others than any of you."

Emmy nodded, still slightly flustered from her gaffe, and gave the two girls some space.

"Fiora, I know it's hard right now. Having seen your friends and family taken away like that… I mean, my best friend Minnie was among them..." Dorothy trailed off for a minute, but quickly snapped herself out of it. She couldn't afford to be preoccupied with what she'd lost until the civilian was comforted first. This had been pounded into her head since her first day of training.

"Friend…? I lost the only family I ever had. I watched him die. How does a friend compare to that?" Fiora asked. Dorothy looked visibly hurt from this, but all of a sudden a growl came from the front. Vangarre turned around, took three steps, and slapped Fiora across the face. She took a step back in surprise and held her hand to her face.

"Listen, girl, I will not have a sad, crying sack of dead weight accompanying us! And know your place! We all lost people, so suck it up and keep moving! Your pain doesn't make you special and I don't care how sad you feel or how badly you want to mourn. If you act out like than in the battlefield, you die. A soldier's life is one supported by everyone who fights and dies next to him, so stop whining!" Vangarre scolded harshly. Fiora was frozen by this, but when he finished, she clenched her fists tightly as tears welled up in her eyes.

"...I'm not a damn soldier! I'm a—"

"Well, you are now!" Vangarre roared back. Once again, Fiora froze. "I'm hereby conscripting you into the Defence Force! Congratu-fuckin-lations rookie, this is your _new_ big, happy family! So you better fucking focus on them and keep them alive, you got it?! I don't have _time_ to protect a _useless_ waste of space!"

In response to this, Fiora slapped him and ran away down the caves towards Mag Mell ruins. Vangarre spit on the ground again.

"You always had such a way with words, Colonel." Sighing, Reyn took off after her. Emmy and Dorothy followed him too, the latter sending a glare towards Vangarre. As they left him behind, Vangarre let out a lonely sigh. He knew he was too rough on the girl. She was just a civilian. Still, there was nothing he could do about what he said. Hefting his gun, Vangarre jogged after them.

* * *

Reyn pulled himself up a rocky wall and sprinted down the corridor, calling out loudly for Fiora at every turn. He was the second highest ranked of the remaining officers, only surpassed by Vangarre himself. If the final civilian was lost over this, he'd feel responsible. As he continued further into the cave, the ground beneath him began to feel soft and squishy, but his mind only had time to take note of the change in footing. He was as focused as possible on tracking down and making amends with Fiora.

Finally, he spotted her in a more open portion of the cave. She was on her knees with her arms crossed across her chest. Reyn wanted to run up to her and explain things immediately, but he fought his instincts and instead carefully approached her. She lifted her head up slightly, her face still wet with tears and her eyes red. When he got close, the lieutenant plunked down beside her, practically somersaulting backwards with his weight.

"Uh, let's start over," Reyn started. Fiora looked downward, avoiding eye contact with him.

"I know ol' Squaretache was harsh back there, but I promise ya, he didn't mean it like that. He's a bit rough, but he has his own way of tellin' ya he cares. The Colonel… he was in the war last year. Reason he rose to Colonel was because everyone else between him and that rank died. As far as I know, he doesn't have any family either. The Defence Force is his family, just like it's mine. I think he was trying to help you out by making you a part of that," Reyn explained as let out a small chuckle.

"He's very straightforward. He's the type o' guy who only yells at the people he cares about," Reyn said with a smile. Fiora looked at Reyn at the point. Her nose was runny and she quickly wiped it on her sleeve, not even caring if he saw.

"...I really hate you… You're a happy idiot and I loathe being around you…" Fiora said quietly. Reyn's smile faded as he nodded with understanding. "But, you know… I'm starting to think you're not that bad of a guy."

From above, Reyn heard a quick, skittering sound.

"Did you hear somethin'?" Reyn asked. The faint tapping grew louder and more frequent, like rain pouring on the cave roof. As she looked up, she took in her surroundings for the first time. The room was covered in a soft, white substance, like silk, or…

"Cobwebs," Fiora whispered as the color drained from her , she looked up towards the ceiling. She had hoped for it to be clear and empty, that they had not just walked into a spider's nest. Unfortunately, the sight she took in was a squirming mass of small eight-legged bodies all huddled around one large body. Before she could even let out a scream, one spider dropped.

And another.

And another.

It was raining spiders.

Reyn sprung into action shielding Fiora beneath his gunlance as he blocked the incoming arachnids. As several smaller arachnids crawled at their feet, biting at their ankles, Reyn swiped the driver in front of them.

"Here we go, LARIAT!" He yelled as he sent a wave of them flying backwards. More of the eight-legged pests swarmed in from each side of Reyn and Fiora, forcing the two to turn back-to-back to thin them out.

Fiora felt a flip switch somewhere inside her. Raining spiders? Trapped in a cave with an idiot while it rained spiders? What kind of situation was this? Dunban was dead, her friends were dead, everyone was dead and she was now being surrounded by spiders?! It was bloody madness! Insanity! Like hell she'd take this sitting down! Like hell she was happy with this situation!

Fiora couldn't stop herself from giggling as she unsheathed her knives. The answer was so laughably simple: Kill the problem. Kill the pain. Kill until she was satisfied. And there were so many squirming bodies around her just _begging_ to die.

"Lacerate!" She screamed, swiping at a spider crawling up her shoulder. Blood sprayed from it, splashing onto her face. Instead of crying out, a wide grin appeared on her face. Enthusiastically, Fiora stomped on another one, relishing the power she had over the monster. Dashing forwards, she slashed at another two before leaping and stabbing both daggers into the spider with a Power Smash art. Out of Reyn's protection, she was quickly surrounded by spiders. Several jumped at her, but she slid to one side and began what could only be called a dance.

"Butterfly Step," she whispered delightfully as she whipped her knives around her. Her brother's Blossom Dance was graceful and powerful, containing within it the power of thousands of hours of practice. Her butterfly step was similar. Still graceful, but every strike was quick and appeared light even as spiders were cut in two. The name was apt. Moving lightly like a butterfly, yet carrying all the dangerousness of a sharp blade. Spider bodies fell to the ground as she became a living maelstrom of death, taking pleasure in every enemy she felled.

"Woah, I didn't know you could do that! Save some for me, will ya?!" Reyn joked loudly as he continued to throw around his gunlance, coated in their moist exoskeletons, crushing as many spiders as he could with each blow. A larger one then landed on his face.

"Ugh, bugger off!" He shouted as he fell backwards, struggling against the spider on his face. "Get off… you disgusting… little… Whad?! Difd yoo juft fhoot wreb in mah mouf?!" As he struggled with the spiders, more and more piled on top of him, slowly turning the mountain of man into a mountain of spiders. The mound stopped struggling.

Then all the spiders suddenly exploded outwards.

"War Swing, you nasty little cretins!" He yelled as he continued to swing his gunlance around. Upon stopping, Reyn worked his jaw a few times while frowning. "I feel so… violated… Oi, I better not get pregnant from this!"

"Shut up and kill them! Make them pay! Make them all pay, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! DIE, DIE LIKE THE LOWER LIFE FORMS YOU ARE, HAHAHAHA!" Fiora squealed as she literally ripped a spider in two. Reyn looked at her in disbelief. Then, he finally showed signs of understanding.

' _Ah, I see. It must be her time of the month!'_ Reyn thought with pride for being so bloody intelligent.

"I WILL BATHE IN YOUR BLOOD ONCE I SLAY ALL YOUR KIN!"

' _Yep. This is exactly like Emmy's time of the month.'_ Reyn reaffirmed himself.

As the two fended them off, larger spiders began to pour in from above. One broke off from the ground and landed straight in front of Fiora. She growled, preparing to swing her knives at the intruder. Before she could stab at it, though, a blast of ether knocked it down.

"Hey, idiot and crazy, don't you think this is the wrong place for a romantic rendezvous?" A voice called out from behind them. Reyn turned to see Dorothy (Fiora would have, but she was covered in spider blood and liking it) with her rifle smoking. Emmy suddenly leapt out from behind Dorothy, sword and shield in hand as she landed on and stabbed a spider.

"I WILL BATHE IN YOUR BLOOD ONCE I SLAY ALL YOUR KIN!" Emmy exclaimed as she recieved an attack from a spider. Reyn could swear he saw fear in the spider's six eyes.

' _Ah, it's her time of the month again too, isn't it?'_ Reyn thought.

"TAINTED BLADE! FEEL THE VENOM OF YOUR TOXIC WAYS!" Emmy declared as she stabbed the spider with her Claymore. She withdrew her poisoned sword, and watched with wicked glee as the spider staggered backwards in pain. A second spider crawled right behind her, but she was ready. She was always ready. She brought her shield down onto the spider, and it wobbled around in a daze as blood trickled out of its head. Emmy lifted the spider up by its head and made eye contact briefly with Fiora.

In the midst of this battlefield, the girl whose mind broke and the girl who was on her period had a single moment of understanding.

Fiora swiftly sliced the spider to pieces as Emmy held it, leaving her with only the head. Fiora nodded before going back to being insane and death incarnate.

Emmy lifted the head above her as she cried out, "THIS IS YOUR FATE, FOUL BEASTS!"

"I guess someone has to be sane around here," sighed Dorothy as she raised her rifle. Her eyes darted around the room, instinctively looking for the furthest target to pick off before it could get too close. In the shadows at the back squirmed a jumble of legs. Dorothy breathed in calmly as she took aim. One shot, one kill.

" _Ugh, looks like Reyn's in danger. Again,"_ Dorothy thought as she breathed out. Then, with a pull of the trigger, her bullet pierced through one spider's head and continued onwards, dropping another. Why not one shot two kills?

She reloaded her gun.

' _I hate spiders. Hate them so much. Why does it have to be spiders anyway? Why couldn't it be the 'Cave of Not Stereotypical Things You'd Find in a Cave.' I like that cave. Much better than this mess,'_ Dorothy thought with a grimace. Another shot rang out. This time three spiders fell. How many times did she practice her shot? How many times did she miss when the Mechon attacked? Dorothy swore in her heart she'd never miss again. She'd never endanger her allies by daring to miss.

At this point, the cavern began to rumble. A loud cry came from above. Nervously, Dorothy glanced upwards. The largest spider, the queen, was still up there. Then it dropped.

The huge creature shook the ground when it landed, knocking Fiora off balance (but she was still able to stab something so it was okay) and sending several of its own spiders flying. Reyn quickly turned to it and stepped in front of Fiora.

"Get behind me!" He shouted. Fiora's eyes suddenly began to lose the mad tinge to them when she saw the queen, but the madness quickly returned the gleam to her eyes. The queen jumped at Reyn with its immense weight. With all his strength, he kept it at bay but his legs were sliding on the ground, unable to find any purchase. From the side, Dorothy fired pumped shot after shot into the monster, but the creature shrugged off the damage. Emmy was too focused on dealing with the surrounding spiders to intervene. Reyn just needed one chance, one moment to push the monster back.

"I WILL TEACH YOU DESPAIR!" Fiora shouted as she ran at the monster. It easily knocked her away with one its legs and sent her flying into the cavern wall. "THAT… That was a good shot…" Fiora trailed off as blood began to ooze from her head.

"Hey, you bastard! Nobody messes with my subordinates but me!"

Out of nowhere, the queen's side suddenly exploded. Standing at the entrance to the cavern with a rocket launcher over his shoulder, was Vangarre. The queen cried in pain as Reyn finally pushed it away from him. Vangarre then ran into the scene.

"Dorothy, suppressing fire! Take out its legs! Leater, what the hell are you doing?! Focus on the task at hand! Take out the legs Dorothy can't hit! Reyn, you take the front! Fiora..." He trailed off as he saw her laying against the cavern wall muttering nonsense about murder with blood oozing from her head. "Good job!"

With their instructions in place, the Defence Force finally shaped up. Reyn tanked the hits as Emmy fired, taking out a single leg. Emmy came up from the side, dismembering the other side of the queen. As they did their work, Vangarre ran forward and jumped onto the queen.

"Riding the queen, eh? There's a first time for everything!" He exclaimed as he pulled out his pistol and pressed it into the queen's head. It tried to shake him off, but it was down to six legs.

4.

2.

0.

Vangarre unleashed bullet after bullet into the head of the spider queen, turning the arachnid's head into lead-filled putty. With the queen dead, Vangarre walked over to Fiora. She was still dazed, not making any sense.

"Uh… Colonel? You were a bit too harsh earlier, so I would appreciate it if yo—" Dorothy started.

"Shut up. I got it handled," he said.

"But sir—"

"I said I got it handled!" He yelled. Dorothy shirked back in fear. The others gave him space as he knelt before Fiora. He reached into his pack and pulled out some bandages and antibacterial spray. Applying the spray, he wrapped the bandage around her head gently. As he did so, sanity began to return to Fiora's eyes, this time for good.

"Colonel, I…" Fiora started, but she had no idea where to go from there. How could she handle everything that just happened?

"Quiet down, kid. Bucker up. I understand you've been through a lot. You've lost a lot. But you're not the only one, you know? We all had families. We all had friends. I lost my wife. And… I used to have a little girl. Would've been... about your age if she lived. She didn't die in the Mechon attack though. No, she strayed a little too far from the Colony. Nobody really kept an eye on her and… we payed for it. It's my job to train soldiers, not raise kids. I know that better than anyone," Vangarre said, his voice cracking.

The other soldiers stared on in disbelief. Not only was Vangarre, ol' Squaretache, being kind, but… they never heard this story before. Fiora's anger towards him even began to visibly lessen.

"So I can't hug ya and say it'll all be better soon. I don't know that it will be. If I treat ya like a little kid, you'll die. The Defence Force is my family. The soldiers are my kids. I raised up each and every one of them, trained them, made them strong. And what the hell was it all for?!" Vangarre suddenly shouted. He took a breath and calmed himself.

"But… Emmy and Dorothy and Reyn… they survived, right?" Fiora quietly responded. Vangarre let out a humorless laugh.

"It's a Colonel's job to make sure that the most possible survive. I feel like all I did was change the order in which they died. You didn't have the lives of all those men and women on your shoulders, girl. I did. But I'm not willing to give up and run off into a spider's nest to die. I'm trying to start fresh. So, this time I'll ask: Will you join the Defence Force?" Vangarre asked as he extended his hand towards Fiora. She hesitated.

"I-If I do… you have to promise me something," Fiora said anxiously. "Promise that you won't die."

Vangarre laughed loudly at that. "That, little lady, is one promise I can't keep… But I'll do my damnedest to make sure I do."

She still hesitated, but Fiora extended her hand. He grabbed it and with one swift motion, pulled her to her feet.

"Now let's get going, soldier."

* * *

Dunban awoke to a cool cloth being placed on his forehead.

' _Huh… where am I?'_ He thought. He could feel strength in his right arm. Well, enough to tell him his arm was no longer broken. His ribs were healed as well, as if they had never been broken. His eyelids fluttered open. He was greeted with an unfamiliar ceiling. Where did he fall? Colony 6?

"Oh, you're awake. You took quite a fall," a brown-haired young boy said cheerily. They were in a cave, but there were beds set up and people milling about. A temporary camp?

"Juju, don't disturb him. He's probably confused. I would be if I fell from the sky," a female voice said calmly. Turning his head, Dunban saw a black-haired woman with an ether rifle strapped to her back.

"But Sharla…" The boy, Juju, began. Sharla shook her head.

"Go," she said sternly. Downtrodden, Juju walked away and turned to go out into the cave.

 **BAM!**

"WHO PUT THIS WALL IN THE WAY?!" Juju cried out. Looked like he turned too early. Sharla sighed.

"I'm sorry, he's my idiot younger brother. My name is Sharla. Welcome to the refugee camp for Colony 6, situated on the great Gaur Plain," Sharla said kindly. Dunban gathered his thoughts. How long was he out? Was Fiora still safe? Did she make it in time? Dunban suddenly began to sit up.

"I must g—"

Sharla quickly pushed him back down. "Rest. Your wounds are healed, but your body is fatigued from having to do so much. Moving around suddenly is strictly forbidden," she ordered. Dunban sighed as he laid back down.

"My name is Dunban. I'm from Colony 9. We were attacked by Mechon and my younger sister is out there. Please, I must go," Dunban pleaded.

"So they're attacking everywhere, huh… "Sharla said under her breath. Then, turning to Dunban, "Well, how did you end up falling from the sky?"

Dunban then began to explain his story.

* * *

Outside, Juju heard, "WHAT THE HELL?! ARE YOU INSANE?!"

The sudden noise startled him and he tripped on a rock, and then fell forwards into the lake in the middle of the refugee camp, where his one of his flailing arms got caught in between two rocks and he was suddenly trapped, drowning in five inches of water. Reaching into his pocket, Juju pulled out a rainbow-colored slug and used its slime to grease his arm out and save himself.

He then threw the slug in the lake.

"Rainbow Slugs… Good only one time. Well, it's not like I'll ever need _those_ again," he said proudly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out some black beans. Throwing them into his mouth, Juju began to chew on one of his favorite snacks. From the side, Earnest only shook his head.

"This is a whole new level of asshole…"

* * *

 **NEXT: Clawman**

* * *

 **A/N: Wanted to get to Shulk, but we ended up making this chapter a little too long. So we'll write a HUGE Shulk chapter next. With Mumkhar. We promise.**

 **Shay: Next up is my favorite location in any game ever. I have been waiting for Satorl Marsh ever since we began this fic! Also, more Mumkhar, which is NEVER a bad thing.**

 **KoZ: I laughed so evilly while writing those last two scenes, huehuehuehue…**

 **Question of the Chapter: How would you kill Juju?**

 **Review, Favorite, Follow! Pretty please with Vangarre on top?** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**


	7. Clawman

**Chapter 7: Clawman**

 **A/N: Last three chapters sad? This'll make you laugh or your money back!**

* * *

"Bloody swamps. I hate swamps. Always have, always will," Mumkhar said as he trudged forward.

It was noon in Satorl Marsh and the air was so muggy that Mumkhar wasn't sure if we was more wet from it or his sweat. The fog was so thick that even with the enhanced senses granted to him by Lord Egil, he could barely see past his feet. As he pulled himself along, his metal body aching, he felt an Upa splashing at his feet.

"Standing in my way, eh? What, expecting a pity party, you sad thing?" He gloated, bending down to the Upa. "Well, guess what- life isn't kind to small little fishies like you! I'm the big fish in this pond!"

As he punted the Upa, a startled Coppice Quadwing swooped down with a screech and slashed at his face with its talons.

Mumkhar grabbed the monster and tried to extend his claws, graciously given to him by Lord Egil, but they still weren't extending. Most of his higher functions broke in the crash. Irritated, Mumkhar punched the Quadwing, killing it in a single blow.

"Eh? What's this? Little birdy thinks he can hurt me? I'm bigger than you! More powerful than you!" He shouted at the bird's corpse. To his side was a small Nopon merchant camp. From that direction, he heard a voice call out.

"Uhm, excuse me, but would you be willing to assist us? We are very willing to pay you for you every request you ful—"

"Shaddup! I'm bigger than you! Bigger fish wins!" He yelled.

"W-What?" The Nopon merchant asked, stricken with confusion. Mumkhar looked at him and yelled at the Nopon.

"Don't you get it! Let me make it clear! 'Me bigger! Me stronger! Me no do what you say!' Bloody savages," he said, using a mocking, high-pitched voice in his imitation of the Nopon.

"Sir? That's uh, that's kind of rude, sir. I would very much appreciate it if you apologized," the Nopon replied.

"Don't make me kill you. I don't want to get fur on my fists," Mumkhar sneered.

"No, uh, sir. This is really uncalled for. You don't ha—"

"SHUT UP!" Mumkhar shouted. Finally making things silent, he trudged on. His foot slipped and he fell off the wooden walkway, going knee deep into the muck of the swamp.

"Damn mud! Don't you know who I am? I'm the strongest there is! Mumkhar the hero! Feel...my...WRATH!" He screamed as he struggled uselessly.

As Mumkhar flailed and grumbled in the bog, two reptilian figures emerged from the fog.

"Bloody Ignas! Savages all over the place! Can't Zanza keep his body clean?! Well, here to take me on, you worthless pile of scales?!" Mumkhar roared.

One Igna looked to the other.

 _{Should we kill him?}_ He asked in their hissing language. The other one shook his head.

 _{No, make him a prisoner. Then piss on him. Then kill him.}_ The other replied.

 _{Good idea.}_ The two began to approach him, swords out.

"What?! You dare to fight me?! I'm Mumkhar, Hero of the Mechonis! I'm a bloody legend! You should just fall on your knees and worship me! If you do it now, I'll only cut off one limb each," he ordered proudly.

Then one of them hit him with his sword.

"Haha! That did nothing at all!" He laughed loudly as he tried to punch the creature. It moved out of his range. Oh, right. They had swords. He couldn't reach them. His legs were stuck.

They hit him again.

"T-That didn't hurt at all! COME FACE ME LIKE MEN, YOU COWARDS!"

They hit him again. And again. And again.

"I-I-I'll kill… you!"

And again and again and again and again and again they hit him.

And that was how the proud Mumkhar became the prisoner of the Satorl Ignas.

* * *

Having left Hode to watch over the Nopon survivors, Shulk departed alone the following morning. He'd already said his farewells. Riki had absolute confidence in him and even went so far as to give the Hompon his old biter. He wouldn't be needing it anymore. Although Shulk's current biter was something he made himself, Riki told him that this biter had been passed through the family for generations.

How could he possibly refuse?

With a cute-looking biter on his back, Shulk was fully prepared to face the darkness outside Makna. A short trip through the Bionis' interior and he'd be in Satorl Marsh. Once through there he'd reach Colony 6. He'd need to ask them first about giving shelter to his people. However, he had one last stop to make.

"Mamapon, Dunga… I'm going," he said in front of the two stones embedded in the ground. Unlike the Homs, who returned the deceased to the ether that flowed through the Bionis, the Nopon lived in the ether-rich Makna and only had to bury their dead. Even though the real corpses were back in the ruined Frontier Village, nobody dared to return there. It wasn't safe. So, for now, these mock graves would have to do.

"I'm sorry. If I was stronger… if I was faster… I might have been able to do something. I beat him up, though. The one who killed you is gone and I still don't feel right," Shulk said. His voice was beginning to crack. "H-How could this happen? We didn't do anything... You deserved better. I promise the both of you… I won't let anybody else important to me die. Even if I have to give up my own life."

Shulk smiled as tears began to streak down his face. "So, until then… please wait for me."

"...Shulk," A voice called out. He turned his head to find Melia standing there, tears welling in her eyes. She stomped towards him and slapped him hard across the face. He held his hand to his face in shock. Melia looked like a mess. Her once beautiful robe was covered in dirt and her eyes were red. Overall, her complexion looked pale and the dark circles under her eyes showed she hadn't slept at all last night.

"Don't you dare say that!" She yelled.

"Wha—"

"They died so you could _live_ , Shulk! I'll not have you go out with a death wish!" She scolded. Then, with her small amount of strength, she pulled him into a hug. "What about the person you die to save? What about the people left behind? Does that mean nothing to you?!"

Shulk's eyes widened in surprise. That's right. Melia had lost her second home. Frontier Village was a place where she could be herself without having to fit the princess mold or be hated for her heritage. She lost it and she wasn't even there to help or see anybody's final moments. He was her pupil. One of the few people she had remaining. And… it would spit on Mamapon's sacrifice to die so easily.

"I'm… sorry, Melly…" He whispered. Her figure, which to him had always been bigger and stronger than him, seemed so incredibly small that it felt like she would disappear. So he held onto her as well, silently promising to let the vision he saw never come to pass.

"Promise me something. Promise me that, no matter what, you will live," Melia's said into his chest. Her voice was muffled somewhat, but he heard her loud and clear.

"I promise," Shulk assured her. Separating from him, Melia frowned.

"I do not believe you. So, to make sure, I'm going with you. If you dare try to make me stay, then I will be forced to show you that your teacher still has a few tricks up her sleeves." Melia smirked as she twirled her staff in front of her. Shulk cracked a smile as he nodded. He could think of no better travel companion.

"Then, Ms. Antiqua, would you mind teaching me on the way?"

* * *

Chained to the wall in Exile Fortress behind the grand throne of Reckless Godwin, the leader of the Ignas, was Mumkhar. Beaten and bruised, rage still shined brightly in his eyes. He wasn't done yet. No mere creature could possibly beat down a superior being like him. He was positive he could break free all on his own. If only…

"Pssst. I have a plan. Let's break out."

If only this…

"Come on, angry eyes, stop giving me the silent treatment. We can escape together…"

If only the damn ball of fur would shut up!

"My name's Kacha. Let's be friends, future-partner-in-escape," the Nopon scientist said as it pushed its thick glasses up. Of course, it wasn't chained up like him. No, they just let the bloody thing stand there and talk about breaking out all day long. Then again, what harm could a tree-loving potato like this thing do? Mumkhar got the feeling that if it _tried_ to punch an Igna, the tiny creature's hand would be deflected off the scales and it would end up hitting itself in the face.

"The day I need help from a furball is the day I need to choke a cat to death," Mumkhar replied irritatedly. Kacha frowned at this.

"Sir, I believe you have deep-rooted psychological issues. Would you like to talk about it as we plan our escape? Tell me, did your father never love you and how should we try to break those chains on you?" Kacha asked. Mumkhar didn't even know if this thing was male or female. They didn't have apparent parts like Homs or even bunnits. How the hell did they reproduce? Mumkhar briefly imagined the sight and sound of two balloons colliding against each other before dismissing the thought.

"You have stumps that you call legs, right? Then walk your fluffy ass out of here. They don't seem to be stoppin' you," Mumkhar replied as he pulled on his chains. They didn't give way. Then again, the mud and damage the Ignas delivered to his body reduced him to roughly 10% his strength. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't kill them.

"Oh my, you'd let a poor, beautiful, young damsel in distress like myself walk to my death? No, sir knight, please help me in my time of need!" Kacha begged in a melodramatic voice as she (he finally figured out her bloody gender) bowed before him. Mumkhar tried to kick at her with his mud-caked foot, but he was slow enough for even her to dodge him. One of the Ignas in the "throne room" laughed at this. Mumkhar glared at it.

"You're first," he promised. From the side, Kacha sighed.

"Deep-rooted psychological issues. Tell me, did you kick puppies when you were a kid? Fart in a bottle and make others sniff it? To think you'd try to kick a poor damsel in distress begging your aid. Let me try another angle," Kacha said as she changed her posture and pushed her hair high up.

"Kacha future Heropon! Kacha save you if work with Kacha! No bitey-bitey! Friends be happy!" She exclaimed in a high, shrilling voice reminiscent of a certain Nopon from Frontier Village.

Mumkhar was, to say the least, unmoved.

"Let me out of here, you reptilian scum! If you don't, I'll bloody kill this hostage of yours and turn her into a winter coat!" Mumkhar roared. At this point, Kacha slapped him.

"Now _that_. That was just insensitive," she admonished him. "I'd make at least a fancy blouse _and_ mittens. Scientifically speaking, I have enough surface area for it."

Mumkhar banged his head against the wall behind him and knocked himself out.

* * *

"This is a Sunflower Rogue," Melia began, pointing to a bright yellow flower. "It may appear beautiful, but it is also very delicate. If you sever the stem, it will immediately wilt."

Since Satorl would be a long slog through unpleasant wetlands, Melia had decided that now was as good a time as any to begin her teachings on the road. Shulk continued to stare ahead as they trudged through the muddy water.

"...Yellow flower," Shulk said. "It's yellow and dies like a flower. I'm calling it Yellow Flower."

"Now, now, Shulk. High Entia scholars spend years arguing over what is the most ideal name for flora or fauna." Melia countered. "The name must be unique. How else would you distinguish when you are discussing a Sunflower Rogue from any other yellow flower?"

"There are other yellow flowers?! What are they called?! Yellow Flower #1? Bright Sunshiney Flower?! Why don't we call them all yellow flowers?!" Shulk shouted as he clutched his head. It made no sense!

"Shulk, you should know that." Melia shook her head. "You were raised in Makna Forest. There is a whole grove of the actual Yellow Flower species there. And it would be very confusing if we referred to different species by the same name. High Entia zoologists still regret using the antiquated 'Deinos Sauros' name for a species that is not even in the Deinos family."

"Melly, I'm going to call it Yellow Flower," Shulk said sternly.

"No! Stop being so stubborn!" Melia scolded him.

"You can't stop me!" Shulk cried as he ran off. Melia, of course, chased after him.

"That's incorrect! You can _not_ do that!" She shouted.

"I'm a utilitarian, Melly! Tell me what the proper usage of the yellow flower-thing is and then maybe it _deserves_ a name! You're just making names up because it's fun!"

Before Melia could counter him, she suddenly spied a stone fortress not too far from them.

"Shulk, perhaps it's wise to continue our lesson elsewhere. We are rapidly approaching Igna territory."

"What's so scary about a bunch of lizards?" Shulk chuckled as he continued to run ahead of her. "I have to deal with Deinos back at home, and they're much bigger!"

Before Melia could answer him, five Ignas began sprinting in their direction, primitive swords in their claws. Shulk pulled out his biter and began to run to meet them in glorious combat.

...At least, that's what he thought would happen. The Igna then veered off to the side once they saw Shulk and Melia. They seemed almost… joyful to see them. Shulk was confused at first, but then he realized that these Igna weren't running towards him. They were running away from something.

Shulk turned in the direction they were fleeing from to see a titanic, steel creature whirling towards them. Its mechanical tendrils whipped around as it approached red lights in place of its eyes flickered as it registered the Homs and High Entia in its path and it raised a clawed tentacle with a mechanical click, ready to eliminate them.

"This one has tentacles! It's just like Melly's hidden books!" Shulk exclaimed happily as he looked towards Melia.

"S-Shulk?! I told you before, it was _research_! Definitely not anything else! W-We were just analyzing bio-... organic… weapons…" Melia trailed off, her face bright red as she tried to form excuses. "Anyway, just focus on killing it!"

"Yes, Melly!"

Shulk whipped his staff, casting Summon Flare five times on his inherited biter. Melia followed his lead, whirling around her own staff to summon a wind elemental to give both of them a burst of speed. The metal beast brought its tentacles down, but both Shulk and Melia rolled out of the way, the edges nearly grazing them.

"Melly, let's do the thing!" Shulk shouted. Melia looked at him confusedly.

Shulk launched himself into the air, striking the Mechon with his foot.

"Ah, that thing!" Melia exclaimed in surprise. "Specificity is key in cooperation, Shulk!"

As he landed, Melia slid in with her Starlight Kick to bring it to its knees The boy darted behind it, smashing his biter hard into its back, gouging out chunks of metal as he tore his weapon away. The mechanical creature unsteadily rose to its feet, oil pouring from its wound. With a sudden burst of energy, lashed at Shulk with a giant tendril, sending him bouncing along the ground and straight into the murky water.

"Shulk!" Melia screamed. "Pay attention!"

Melia twirled her staff and sent a gust of wind slicing through a few of its tentacles. The metal appendages writhed as they hit the ground. Almost as if it was enraged, the metal monster whirled on Melia, prepared to attack her with several tendrils it had remaining. As it prepared its attack, its back suddenly exploded.

Once more it shifted its gaze to see a mud-covered Shulk leap high into the air and remove the red blade on his back. With a huge vertical slash, Shulk cut the Mechon in two as he fell back to the ground. The two halves fell apart, sparks and oil shooting out them before the Mechon was finally silent.

Continuing the conversation, Shulk answered, ""It's too hard, Melly! I can't stop thinking about Yellow Flowers! Why?! Why give them different names?! What purpose does it serve?!"

{ _Thank you, mighty assholes!_ }

Melia and Shulk heard a hiss as the Igna quintet emerged from the boulder they hid behind. The bowed their heads, making the earlier incomprehensible hiss make sense to the duo.

{ _We have been waiting many moons for some other asshole who could defeat the metal assholes._ } The lead Igna gave a raspy sigh. { _We've lost many of our strongest bitches to them._ }

Shulk nodded with each hiss, as if he understood… But the confused expression on his face said otherwise. Melia sighed.

"Don't act like you understand… They're grateful," Melia said, summarizing what she could see from the Igna's body language.

{ _You nincompoop!_ } Another Igna scolded, slapping the first. { _The assholes don't speak our tongue, otherwise they'd be bitches!_ }

{ _Owww… Fine then, you handle it..._ } The slapped Igna rubbed his head and groaned.

{ _We will take you to the boss, male asshole and feathery asshole,_ } the second Igna continued as he stepped forward pointing to the fortress. As a further gesture of friendship, he sheathed his sword in a crude leather harness attached to his armor and nodded.

"Follow you… and no killing each other? Okay, sounds fair," Shulk said happily. Ooh, maybe they could become friends with the Igna and the Nopon could live in the fortress! That way, they'd be protected and have a home!

"Shulk, this seems like a _bit_ of a detour," Melia argued. "And besides, even if they put on a friendly demeanor now, Igna can be… troublesome at best. They hate everyone."

In response, the Ignas clasped their hands together and gave the duo a look that could only be compared to the Nopon Sad Eyes… Though a lot less cute on the scaly, muscled, clawed, sharp-toothed grunts.

{ _Just keep making this face and the assholes will believe us,_ } The leader said while attempting to make his hisses especially cute.

{ _I adopted an orphan kitten once!_ } Another claimed. { _I raised the poor thing all by myself, for real! How can't they trust an asshole like that? I mean, what kind of asshole doesn't eat a perfectly good kitten?_ }

"We~ll, I don't think they'll lie. They're grateful, right?," Shulk told Melia. "Dadapon always said that the more friends you have, the happier you are. And besides," he continued as he lowered his voice, "if they are big liars, then I could always use their teeth and claws for something!"

* * *

The evening sun barely shone through the thick fog as Shulk and Melia followed the Ignas into their fortress. The exterior, built with dirt-caked rocks, blended into the cliff. Inside, dust swirled around in the scarce light pouring in. A row of guard Ignas were lined up along each wall, as if the wall itself was made of Ignas. In the center of the room on a grandiose stone throne rested an Igna noticeably larger than the rest. He lifted his head as the five Ignas approached the throne.

{ _What are you bitches doing!?_ } He rasped angrily. { _You know it's my nap hour right now. This better be good or else I'm chopping you up and feeding you to the Quadwings!_ }

{ _Boss! We have a situation!_ } One Igna responded, cowering at the Reckless Godwin's threat. { _These assholes scrapped a metal asshole! We saw it with our own eyes!_ }

{ _Good, powerful assholes make for very good slave assholes. It's about time we found worthy assholes. The last asshole we found made more noise than carnage._ }

{ _Should we throw them in with the other assholes?_ } The same Igna asked with a pleading look in his eyes.

{ _Not yet,_ } answered the head of the Ignas. { _Let's suck up to the assholes first, then show them the other assholes. Then they'll have to kill all the metal assholes so they don't end up as caged assholes._ }

"Huh?! Where the hell— Release me, you scaly vermin!" Somebody suddenly shouted in a language Shulk could understand. He began to walked towards the area behind the throne absentmindedly. Two of the Igna lining the wall stepped forward to stop the boy.

 _{Stop, asshole. This area is off limits!}_ The guard declared. However, Shulk didn't understand a word he said. The intent got through, though, so Shulk grinned as he removed his biter. Melia bit her lip. If he started a fight here, things could very easily go bad for them. They were surrounded and had no idea the leader of the Igna even was.

"Hey, guy who shouted earlier! Would you like to be released?" Shulk asked. There was silence for a bit before the voice replied.

"W-Who are you?! Of course I want to be released! Do it quickly and I might even reward you!"

Shulk looked at Reckless Godwin with a bright smile on his face.

"Imprisoning others is mean. Let him go," Shulk ordered. Melia sighed. This _was_ going to be another fight, wasn't it? Reckless Godwin loomed over Shulk as he snorted in rage.

"Homs asshole! I am boss! I give orders! You don't tell me what to do! Now, we make you our prisoner!" Reckless Godwin shouted, this time in a language Melia and Shulk could both understand. The blond haired man nodded and looked towards the resigned Melia.

"Teeth and claws, Melly. Teeth and claws," he reminded her. Following that statement, Shulk hefted his biter and swung it with all his strength into the first guarding Igna. The biter would have sent the first guard flying, but he impacted with the second one, sending both of them against the wall. The room froze in shock. With glee, Shulk leapt onto the throne and over it, flipping in the air to land in front of the prisoner.

The Homs was Homs from the chin up at least. Everything else below was black and gold colored metal that was caked in mud. Steel led up from his body and stretched across his face towards his eyes before stopping just short of them. More of that black metal stretched above his eye towards the outside of his face and stopped right before his hairline. With his brown hair slicked back behind him, Mumkhar was the oddest mixture of man, machine, and style that Shulk had ever seen (as well as the only one).

"So cool! You're cool!" Shulk exclaimed with stars in his eyes. Then, without wasting any more time, he freed the man by breaking the chains with his biter. Looking to the side, he saw they also had a Nopon, but she wasn't in chains. The Nopon waved. Shulk waved back. What a nice Nopon.

"Ahahaha! Good job, brat! It looks like _somebody_ knows how to recognize excellence!" Mumkhar said pointedly, glaring at Kacha. "Name's Mumkhar. Now get me the hell out of here and we'll discuss the reward!"

At this time, the Igna realized they were supposed to be freaking out and attacking the Homs. Reckless Godwin roared.

 _{THE ASSHOLES ARE WORKING TOGETHER! BITCHES, FILL THESE ASSHOLES WITH YOUR SWOR—}_

Reckless Godwin was cut off as flames exploded against his chest, sending him straight into his thrown. Surprised, the other Igna looked at the culprit, Melia, who still had her staff extended.

"You should watch your tongue. It is a lesser known secret, but ether can be read. I've known everything you lot have said. If you are unable to manage your language, then I'll be forced to silence you myself," Melia said as she twirled her staff behind her. Then, Shulk and Mumkhar leapt out from behind the throne. Shulk swung his biter into an Igna, caving in its chest and allowing Mumkhar to grab the dropped sword. Of course, his eyes and full attention were drawn towards the red sword on Shulk's back, but he said nothing.

The Ignas lined against the wall continued to emerge onto the center of the fortress as if they were statues that had come to life. Two of them swarmed over to Shulk, but the clever Homs rolled out of the way, causing the pathetic duo to crash into each other.

{ _Watch where you're going, bitch!_ } One of them screamed at the other.

{ _You're the one who needs to keep your eyes on the assholes, you-_ } But before it could respond, both Ignas slipped on a slick liquid at their feet and slammed hard on their backs.

"Lemon Stone nectar!" Shulk proclaimed as he bashed both of the fallen Ignas over the head with his biter. "Delicious AND useful! Let's see that Sunflower Rogue make half as useful a pod!" More of the Igna began to charge in Shulk's direction, their feet scrambling to avoid the gooey substance spilled on the floor.

"Hey! Sunflower Rogue's are _very_ useful! You can... You can look at them and they're very pretty!" Melia countered as she summoned a great ball of ice that struck the Ignas in front of her. Their sharp claws froze over and their scales were covered in frost as they shuddered from the cold and recoiled.

"I'm more of an Ether Rose fan myself… Because they can do this!" Shulk hurled a white capsule at the incoming horde of Igna. The pod struck the Igna in the lead straight on the forehead, the force of the impact opening it up and releasing a powdery white gas. As it spread, the reptiles coughed and winced at a noxious smell that could only be described as a cross between an Orluga's armpit and decomposing Brog meat on a hot day.

An Igna's head sailed in front of Melia's eyes all of a sudden. Looking to her right, she saw Mumkhar wielding one of the cruel blades.

"Would you stop talking, brats?! This is a battle, not couple's bloody aromatherapy!" Mumkhar shouted as he leapt at another Igna, slashing at it with mad glee. Reckless Godwin finally stood back to his feet and roared.

"I. AM. LEADER. I AM GODW—"

He was suddenly cut off as a foot slammed against his scaly throat, cutting off the air to his lungs. Looking up in terror, he saw that blond asshole from earlier.

"M-Mr. Mumkhar, we're not— I mean, me and her—...We're not… a couple," Shulk said shyly as he ground his heel into the Igna leader's esophagus. "Teacher and student… Shulk and Melly not couple… yeah…"

"GRAAGRGagGgagAGAGAHGAHA! I'LL KILL YOU!" Godwin shouted as he pushed the boy's foot up with all his strength. Shulk looked towards Melia, but she didn't seem anywhere _near_ as flustered as he was. Probably because five Igna were attacking her. Forcing the heat from his face (or trying to, rather) Shulk looked down at Godwin.

"Under these circumstances, it might not be ideal, but, could you answer a question for me? How does… How do your people… attract, um… females?" Shulk asked, forcing his foot down harder. Godwin couldn't believe it. He was the strongest of all the Satorl Igna. In fact, he once believed himself to be the strongest creature on Bionis, but this kid… even though his frame was slim he was somehow even stronger than Godwin?!

"Ass...hole… I'll… run my sword… through…" Godwin tried to threaten the boy, but it was getting rather hard to breath. In fact, he was beginning to have the onset of hallucinations at this point. Was that Mamaigna back there? Holding a basket full of fresh-cooked bitch-bread?

"Run sword through asshole?" Shulk asked, his expression in pensive. As if he got an idea, Shulk nodded. "Just like with Dadapon and Mamapon, huh..." Then, with a smile, Shulk said to Godwin, "Say you're sorry and I'll let you go."

Godwin, now half in the land of bitch-bread and fetishized Igna and half in the land of being choked out by the people slaughtering his kin, could only make a gasping, sputtering sound. Shulk sighed. Bad guys really didn't want to learn, did they?

With a heavy heart, Shulk raised his biter. He removed his foot from Godwin's throat.

"Last chance," he offered. Godwin spit in his face. Sighing for the final time, Shulk swung his biter.

Thus ended the self-declared reign of the self-declared king of the Igna, Reckless (self-declared) Godwin.

* * *

"Thank you very much for helping me escape!" Kacha happily thanked them. She looked towards Mumkhar one last time, stuck out her tongue, and then turned away, leaving the trio alone outside Exile Fortress. Mumkhar rolled his eyes at the Nopon.

"Sentient fleabag. I hope it gets eaten on the way back… bloody annoying potato..." he muttered under his breath, just quiet enough that the others didn't pick up on it. He then turned his attention to Shulk, who was still staring at him with a spark of excitement.

"Mr. Mumkhar," Shulk began, practically jumping in place. "Can… Can I fix you up?!"

Now, Mumkhar was slightly wary of this offer. With the furs and vest with no shirt underneath, Shulk seemed wild. Not just that, but everything about him screamed "I just came from Makna!" Of course, he needed that Monado, but he was too weak to take it in his current state. In fact, he might have a bit of trouble even at full power without his Face, but he didn't dare admit it. So, the question was…

Should he let the obviously insane wild boy mess with his parts for a chance at the Monado?

"Shulk," Melia admonished, "It's rude to ask that. You're _not_ just going to put your hands in some stranger's body that's been heavily mechanized for reasons I can't possibly imagine." Turning to Mumkhar, Melia bowed her head. "I'm sorry, sir. He's not one to know boundaries. Having been raised by Nopon, he's not quite used to the concept of having personal space," she finished, glaring at Shulk at that last bit.

He tilted his head in confusion. "But Melly, I already told you, all Nopon are fine bathing together. Why can't we share one too? It helps friends grow closer."

Melia's face reddened, but she ignored Shulk. They've already been through this conversation before.

"You two… You make me tired. Fine, I'll let you try to fix me up, but if you dare put your hands where they don't belong or break anything… I'll kill you," Mumkhar said as he rubbed his head, He was getting a migraine from all the idiocy surrounding him. It was, to say the least, the most stressful day he ever had.

Shulk's eyes sparkled as he reached into his tool bag. Melia put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Let's head back into the fortress. It'll be safer and you'll be able to work in peace. We could move forward, but it's starting to get late. Strong monsters come out at night in Satorl. I'd rather not chance having the misfortune to encounter one," Melia advised. With a smile, Shulk nodded in agreement.

"I get to sit on the throne!" Mumkhar declared proudly. "That is my one condition!"

Melia sent a speculative look at Mumkhar, examining him for a moment.

"You… Okay. I will not question that. If it makes you feel more important, then I see no need not to allow it," Melia said. Then, under her breath, she added, "Even though the _princess_ should sit on the throne…"

* * *

"Oooooooh, it is good to be the _best_ ," Mumkhar proclaimed as he sunk into the stone chair. Melia nearly glared at the mechanical Homs, but managed to suppress the urge as she looked to Shulk.

"Shulk, do you have everything you need here?" She asked.

"I think so," he answered as he began to pull leather pouches out of his tool bag. "Let's see… Kelp Mushrooms seem like a good start." He pulled out several dark green mushrooms that nearly slipped out of his hands. He then crushed them up in his hands and approached Mumkhar before wiping his greased-up hands over Mumkhar's knuckles and letting the juices drip into the crevices on them.

"You said you had something important stuck in those holes on your knuckles, right?" Shulk asked for confirmation.

In response, Mumkhar held up his right arm. A row of long claws popped out, sharp enough to slice through skin and bone with ease.

"I'm back in business! Oh, if only that pathetic lizard could have tasted these claws!" Mumkhar laugh-ed with twisted delight. Shulk's eyes widened.

"Clawman! So cool!" He exclaimed. Mumkhar's pride swelled. Finally, somebody who appreciated him. It was a shame the boy had the Monado. He didn't even seem to know what it was. Perhaps he didn't _have_ to murder the boy.

Shulk next took out a jar filled with a black liquid as thick as jelly.

"Sticky Mucus!" Shulk explained. "I'm glad we gathered some of these from some Brogs on the way here." Mumkhar winced at the name of the substance.

"Get that filth away from me! I'll not have you rub spit on my beautiful body!" Mumkhar complained loudly..

Listening to his patient and then promptly ignoring him, Shulk approached Mumkhar and began slopping the goop on his steel body anyways. It was pungent and the scent burned Mumkhar's nostrils worse than the old moustache cream Vangarre used to use.

"Brat… I've fought in a war, seen countless dead… smelled burning hair and flesh… but _that_ slop is the most foul thing I've smelled," Mumkhar gagged.

"It goes away after it hardens…" Shulk assured Mumkhar as he used the natural adhesive to glue some of the torn metal on his arm back into place. "Well, that's what Melly told me anyway."

Hopeful, Mumkhar looked to Melia. The princess shrugged as she held her nose closed..

"Either that or it burns away your sense of smell until it is virtually useless. The texts never gave me a straight answer…" She trailed off ominously. Mumkhar looked worried for a moment, before rage overtook his visage.

"If I lose my sense of smell…"

"You'll kill me, Mr. Mumkhar?" Shulk finished with a smile, not even worried. "No offense, but you shouldn't threaten the person fixing you up after they saved you and after you promised them a reward."

"Put his legs on backwards," Melia suggested. Shulk's smile brightened considerably.

"I hate you," Mumkhar said as he spit off the side of the throne. Melia, amused by this, moved over to the wall. Having lived in Makna with Shulk, she was more than used to having to camp outside every now and again. In fact, having a solid wall to lean against could be considered a blessing.

"I'd be more concerned if you liked me," Melia countered, much to Mumkhar's ire. With a victorious grin, she closed her eyes. "Keep watch you two. Early to bed and early to rise, makes a High Entia healthy, wise, and etherized."

As Melia faded away into the land of dreams, Mumkhar's eyes refocused on the Monado adorning Shulk's back.

"Brat… where did you get that sword?" He asked. Shulk continued to move Mumkhar's parts back into place as he replied.

"Dinobeast gave it to me when the Mechon attacked my home. I killed Bord with it… Or was it Hord? Mord? Something like that. I don't really know how to use a sword, but it cuts through Mechon very easily," Shulk answered with a smile. Dinobeast? Did this kid really kill Xord?! The Monado wasn't supposed to work on them! Was Lord Egil wrong? Did he send them to their deaths?!

"Brat… that sword. Do you even know what it is?" Mumkhar asked. Shulk shrugged.

"No, I don't. But I don't think that matters. This sword could be the most powerful item in the world, but what matters isn't the weapon. It's the person using it," Shulk replied solemnly. "Mr. Mumkhar, you have a powerful body. You _are_ a weapon and no doubt more experienced than me. As for me…" He trailed off, sending a lonely glance towards Melia before continuing.

"I'm just a brat that was too weak to save his family and too scared to travel without endangering what remained of it. I need to be stronger. I don't need to improve my skills with a weird, powerful weapon. I need to improve myself. They elected me the Heropon. Even though I'm not a Nopon, even though I'm so weak… they put their faith in me. I'm not going to rely on this sword. I'm going to rely on my own power, the power they believed in. However… I'm still weak," Shulk finished with a weak smile as he looked up to Mumkhar. "So, for at least a little longer, I need to rely on it in a pinch."

Mumkhar's face softened slightly at this.

"Shulk… you could be a hero with that, you know?" Mumkhar offered up, his voice breaking. In Shulk he saw his antithesis. Ever since Dunban climbed to fame in the war with that sword, Mumkhar's heart was clouded with envy. Mad, ravenous jealousy that even made him abandon his comrades.

He wanted that sword. With every fiber in his metallic being he wanted it.

He wanted to be the hero.

He wanted people to look at him. Just once, he wanted to be the person people looked up to.

He wanted to be his own person, not hidden in another's shadow.

He didn't want to die as "Dunban's comrade". He wanted to leave something behind. A legacy.

Envy? No... Perhaps it was fear. In his core, Mumkhar was scared of being forgotten.

' _Shulk, how will you answer this? You make no sense. Is it even possible to live like you?'_ Mumkhar thought with a stormy expression.

"A hero isn't somebody who uses a fancy sword, Mr. Mumkhar. I don't think they even need to be that strong. As long as you can protect at least one person, then you're a hero. Of course, I have some expectations to live up to, so I can't set my goal as low as that," Shulk answered. with a smile. Then he rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly. "Sorry, we got into some very deep stuff. I think it's better if I just hurry up and fix you up now."

"It was… no problem…" Mumkhar murmured. Once Shulk finished, he went outside to go fetch something. Left alone on the throne, Mumkhar sighed.

"'As long as you can protect at least one person…'" He quietly repeated. Turning his head, his eyes fell upon Melia. Then he let out a small chuckle. "Not a couple he says… how stupid."

' _When was the last time I helped somebody for a stupid reason like it being the right thing to do?'_ Mumkhar thought. But no matter how many times he called it stupid he couldn't put his whole heart into it. He'd kill that boy for making things so complicated.

But once again, he couldn't put his whole heart into it.

* * *

Some time later, Melia was shaken awake. Judging by how tired she was, she highly doubted it was morning already.

"Melly, look at this! I found a back door!" Shulk said excitedly as he picked her up in a princess carry. She was too tired to even register what was going on until he brought her over to the large opening in the wall.

"Wha… Shulk? What are yo—" Melia cut herself off with a yawn before continuing, "—u doing…?"

"Melly, look!" Shulk whispered with wonder.

The half awake High Entia princess wearily rubbed her eyes as she forced them open. The sight that greeted her stole her breath away, forcing her to full attention. While she had seen Satorl Marsh at night in books and paintings, they could only somewhat capture the beauty that lay out before them. Purple mist swirled through the air, giving it a dreamlike atmosphere. The trees, woody and bare before, now glowed with ether orbs that floated into the air like stars. The once muggy air was now crisp and refreshing, and the murky waters were now as clear as the water in the fountains of Alcamoth, their surfaces sparkling as they reflected the light of the ether.

"Oh my… It's lovely, Shulk…" Melia murmured, still caught up in the stunning view. Her eyes watered slightly. Such beauty could be found in such a desolate place. Everything had a purpose, even the disgusting marsh could be beautiful… While filled with such hopeful thoughts, Melia even forgot Shulk was still holding her.

"I never saw anything like this back in Makna," Shulk explained, also staring ahead. "Sometimes there'd be purple mist in the trees, but it was nothing like this."

It only took one day for everything to come crashing down. And in the days that followed, Shulk planned on being strong, to never let his smile fade. But here, alone with Melia as Mumkhar gently snored in the background… in front of this peace…

Melia felt rain fall onto her robe. Still too tired, she looked up at Shulk's miserable expression.

"If we didn't kill that Mechon… it would have destroyed this too. Melly, why do they do this?" He asked quietly. Melia smiled gently as she placed her hand on his cheek.

"Nobody knows, Shulk, but we have no way of finding out. All we can do for now is keep on fighting," she comforted him. They stayed there, staring quietly at the starry marsh below before Melia spoke once again, slightly more awake this time. "Why did you save that man? Why are you repairing him?"

Shulk sighed.

"I don't know if you'll believe this, but that red Ponado thing showed me a vision when I grabbed it. He was there with me and Hode and he wasn't broken and injured," Shulk explained. "Besides, I think it was the right thing to do anyways. I would have helped him even without the vision."

Melia accepted Shulk's explanation quietly.

' _The Monado… I've heard of it, but only slightly. Whatever secrets it hides and however Shulk got it… perhaps it might be best if he and I don't pry too deeply into such matters…'_ Melia thought.

And, after a near eternity of looking at the beauty, they decided to turn in for the night. Shulk put his weapons in a pile with Melia's staff and fell asleep on the stone floor. Mumkhar stopped his fake snoring once he heard their quiet breathing. His parts now granting him much more movement than before (which was limited to standing, hobbling, and leaping at Ignas), Mumkhar walked over to the Monado.

He could take it right here.

Nobody was watching.

Nobody could stop him.

" _So, for at least a little longer, I need to rely on it in a pinch."_

Mumkhar snorted. It would be too troublesome now, he supposed. They'd chase him and he still wasn't at 100%. Besides, the brat only plans on using it a bit longer. After that, he could even _ask_ for the weapon and receive it effortlessly. And taking it while they were asleep? Too easy. No challenge for somebody as great as he. No, he should have it _presented_ to him.

That was right. He wouldn't steal it. They'd simply _give_ it to him while also protecting him as he traveled with them. After all, there was no way he'd let them leave with the Monado.

Mumkhar went to sleep constantly making reasons for why it would be much wiser to wait.

For some reason, the decision to not steal it felt really good.

* * *

 **Mechonis**

* * *

Xord: Dead.

Metal Face: Destroyed.

His face units that he worked so hard to create went down so easily. Egil frowned as he stared at the screen. Impossible.

In the Mechonis, there was one Machina in charge. One Machina creating Mechon and Face Units, waging a war alone against the Bionis. His humanoid body was black and silver steel, forming intricate patterns dotted with orange lights. His face was human-like in nature, but it was formed of steel, lacking any compassion. There was only way to describe his countenance, his hand-crafted design.

Regal.

With all the others abandoning him, he stood alone at the pinnacle of power, ruling over the Mechonis in solitude. However, that wouldn't be for long. Soon he could give Meyneth, the goddess who _was_ the Mechonis, a body all for herself. He just couldn't find the perfect match.

"I sent the Mechon forward, expecting the Colony 9 Mechon to reinforce our hold on 6, but… it appears the wielder of the Monado interrupted. I suppose this is my fault for not perfecting them before sending them out…" Egil said aloud. His words echoed in the empty city of Agniratha. What used to be a place filled with life and movement, was frozen still and covered in the scars of war. The buildings were tombstones, and the Mechon he made that patrolled the area were lifeless. Unintelligent.

Yet his rage drove him onwards.

"Zanza… I _will_ have my revenge…"

And again, nobody answered.

* * *

 **A/N: A mostly light chapter to help lesson the drama and sadness. Hopeful too. We're slowly drawing closer to Colony 6. What will our heroes find there? Well, you won't find out because we get to see the Defence Force next time (and maybe this odd trio as well depending on the chapter length).**

 **KoZ: I am really happy with my Mumkhar lines and Egil description. I wrote literally all of Mumkhar. I guess I do hog the writing stick a bit too much…**

 **Shay: Hey, as long as I get to write some things. Writing the Ignas' dialogue with you was an absolute blast.**

 **KoZ: I came up with assholes, she finished it with the bitches… That previous sentence is perfect.**

 **Question of the Chapter: How many times was the word "asshole" used? No cheating with Ctrl+F!**

 **REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW! Pretty please with Shelia fluff on top?**


End file.
